Threat to brave officers has never been greater

THIS case illustrates the risks prison staff are exposed to when dealing with extremist offenders. I saw the dangers first-hand last year when I interviewed officers in high-security prisons as part of my review of jail extremism for the then Justice Secretary Michael Gove.

I was shocked and concerned by what I heard.

Staff had become so used to the possibility of being taken hostage and killed by Islamist-inspired prisoners that they had ‘normalised’ it so they were able to function properly on the wings.

Unarmed officers relied on teamwork and hyper-vigilance to stay safe. Their daily working environment was saturated with menace leavened only with gallows humour. Prisons are hard places to work in at the best of times and we

are not in the best of times, with a collapse in order, control and decency across the system.

I was a prison officer and loved the job, but I am not sure I would have the right stuff to survive today’s environment.

It is rather chilling to sit with a group of men and women on the front line talking calmly about how to avoid being beheaded. Not one of the staff I spoke with felt properly understood or protected from harm by the bosses in London. And when we looked at the response to the threat at HQ level, we felt bound to agree.

My team saw little real understanding of the psychological impact on these brave public servants managing some of the most formidable and dangerous extremists in the world.

The system for gathering intelligence on Islamist prisoners was fractured and inadequate to the point where there was no real understanding by bureaucrats of the dangers posed. The arrangements to protect staff and respond to incidents were sometimes hopelessly muddled and out of date. Few of the very well paid senior administrators in London responsible for counterterrorism roles had any operational experience of running prisons.

We found more concern about political correctness and ministerial briefings where we should have seen decisive leadership and support. We made recommendations to correct these serious problems and I expect the Government to ensure all those reforms are put in place urgently.

It is pleasing to see that one of our main recommendations is being adopted.

We argued that the most dangerous and subversive extremists in the system must be prevented from influencing and radicalising others by placing them in special units. For this to work effectively, the selection process must be rigorous and fair. The regime on these units must not be punitive but must be capable of holding extremely dangerous people for a long time.

To run these units we will need outstanding, resilient staff. Careful selection, training, support and outstanding leadership will be required. We are asking a huge amount from these men and women and they deserve the best.

Further up the greasy pole and away from the front line, serious questions must be asked about the current capability in the boardroom to help them defeat this threat to national security.