Prisons lose too many experienced warders

THE number of experienced prison officers has fallen by more than a third in eight years, sparking fears that staff may be ill-prepared to handle “predatory” inmates.

In March 2010 there were 19,255 warders in England and Wales with at least five years experience but that had fallen to 12,418 by March 2018, meaning 78 per cent of officers in 2010 were well experienced but in 2018 it stood at 59 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of prison officers with a maximum of four years of service rose from 5,576 to 8,621, an increase of 3,045.

Ministers are under pressure over the running of prisons after the Government announced it was taking over the privately run HMP Birmingham following a damning inspection report.

A previously unpublished report into a riot at the same prison in 2016 revealed the Government knew 13 months ago that staff there had effectively lost control to inmates. Rory Stewart, the prisons minister, said as many as 20 jails had similar issues with staffing levels a key area of concern.

Ian Acheson, a former prison governor, said: “We must have strong and decisive officers on the wings in suitable numbers to maintain order. In the absence of these people, many of whom were discarded through disastrous austerity cuts, new staff have few role models to help them develop.”

A prisons spokesman said: “We have increased pay 2.75 per cent this year and given governors greater autonomy to retain the most experienced staff.”