‘Alarm bells should ring’ over prison riot

A DISTURBANCE at a maximumsecurity prison should be “ringing alarm bells at the most senior level”, the Prison Governors Association has said.

John Attard, national officer for the group, said trouble at Category A Long Lartin on Wednesday night was symptomatic of cutbacks and changes in the Prison Service management structure.

A total of 81 inmates were involved in the incident at the Worcestershire jail, which led to specially-trained riot officers being drafted in to resolve tensions.

Eighteen prisoners have now been moved to other jails.

Mr Attard said: “The fact that this is a high-security prison must be ringing alarm bells at the most senior level. It causes us some concern.

“Last year the PGA called for an independent public inquiry into the state of our prisons due to cuts.

“It fell on deaf ears. That call has not gone away.”

The disorder at Long Lartin, which has a capacity of 622 and houses some of the most dangerous prisoners, was first reported on Wednesday evening.

Tornado teams – speciallytrained anti-riot prison officers – were sent in, and a steady stream of vans could be seen heading in to the prison car park up until about midnight. The incident was resolved in the early hours of Thursday, and no one was injured.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “Specially trained prison staff successfully resolved an incident at HMP Long Lartin. There were no injuries to staff or prisoners.

“We do not tolerate violence in our prisons, and are clear that those responsible will be referred to the police and could spend longer behind bars.”