Almost 1,000 warders resign as violence in prisons spirals

NEARLY 1,000 prison officers resigned within 12 months of joining last year, amid record levels of violence in jails, according to a report.

Official data show that 915 prison officers departed in 2018, compared with 61 in 2010. Imran Hussain, the shadow justice minister, said violence in prisons was a “real emergency” and called for a “proper strategy”.

The Prison Service is investing an extra £70million to make jails “more secure and decent” in a bid to encourage more staff to stay on for longer.

Mr Hussain submitted a written question to David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, asking how many officers in bands three to five had less than three years’ experience. The answer he received was 9,488 in 2018. He was also informed of the huge jump in numbers leaving after less than a year.

“There is a real emergency here,” he said. “It is beyond a crisis. Violence in prisons and assaults are at record levels. We need a proper way to address the violence and overcrowding.”

He added that staff were leaving early because of the violence, and the loss of experience made things more difficult for those remaining. “There is no silver bullet,” he said. “We need a proper strategy.”

Lucy Frazer, the solicitor general, acknowledged the “challenging” circumstances and said additional training and support was being offered.

Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, called for a review of recruitment and retention, but said “increased starting salary with guaranteed yearly pay rises” was needed. On its own, recruiting more staff led to inexperienced officers working in situations they were not prepared for, he said. “You simply cannot replace experience.”

The Prison Service said the larger numbers of new staff had led to a higher number of leavers.