I’ll quit if I can’t cut prison violence in a year, vows minister

THE prisons minister has vowed to resign if he fails to cut drugs and violence in Britain’s jails within a year.

Rory Stewart made the pledge as he announced a £10million injection to improve security and conditions in ten notorious lock-ups.

The plan includes adopting airportstyle body scanners, drug sniffer dogs and a military- style training regime for governors.

Mr Stewart told BBC Breakfast yesterday: ‘I will quit if I haven’t succeeded in 12 months in reducing the level of drugs and violence in those prisons. I believe in the prison service, I believe in our prison officers. I believe that this can be turned around and I want you to judge me on those results and I will resign if I don’t succeed.’

Asked by Radio 4’s Today programme how much of a cut he would consider a success – 25 per cent or 10 per cent – Mr Stewart said it would be ‘something of that sort’. He added: ‘I’d want you to feel that this had been a substantial reduction and that it was going in the right direction.’

Under the new scheme, £6million has been earmarked to beef up security with drug-detection dogs, body- scanners and improved perimeter defences.

Some £3million will be spent on basic improvements such as repairs to broken windows. And £1million will go on bespoke training programmes for governors, including a staff college model inspired by the military.

Mr Stewart acknowledged that the funding was ‘relatively modest’ but added: ‘It is one of the most challenging jobs anywhere in Britain today, standing on a prison landing outside a cell door working with prisoners.’

Six Yorkshire prisons – Hull, Humber, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorland and Wealstun – are among the ten on the programme.

Two others – Isis and Wormwood Scrubs – are in London. The Ministry of Justice said the jails have struggled with acute problems including drugs, violence and building issues.

Officials said the pilot scheme will be running by the end of the year.

If successful, it will be rolled-out to other prisons. It is the latest in a series of steps aimed at tackling the prisons system amid record figures for self-harming, assaults on staff and widespread drugs misuse.

A damning report last month said jail conditions are the ‘ most disturbing’ ever seen.