Training for prison officers to cope with crime rate

PRISON OFFICERS at Doncaster’s jails are being trained to take statements and control crime scenes as South Yorkshire Police struggle with the challenge of dealing with around 100 crime reports each month at the four sites.

The town already accounts for the highest crime rate in the county, on population size, with 28 per cent of all reports generated in the borough and the workload from the four prisons adds to that total.

Now senior officers are working with managers at the prisons to find new ways of tackling problems and reducing the burden on police officers. That means prison officers being trained in crime scene management, with a report to South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings stating the development would “significantly increase our capability and capacity to manage crimes effectively”.

South Yorkshire Police is also looking for the prisons to put in money towards recruiting new civilian crime investigators to work around the prisons estate, with managers at Marshgate prison the first to sign up to that initiative.

The force’s crime training department is also developing a course for prison officers, which is expected to start by the end of this year, with police now also working more closely with prison intelligence officers and the Regional Prison Team.

Doncaster’s district commander, Chief Supt Shaun Morley, told Dr Billings in a report that meant police operations around prisons were based on active intelligence information. That means future work will be targeted, with greater chances of success.

Neighbourhood police, recently reintroduced across the county, are being used in Doncaster for pro-active operations around the prisons.