ORDINARY CARS FOR CONS FURY
Safety fears over violent prisoner moves
VIOLENT criminals are being transported around the country in ordinary unsecured cars, it’s been claimed.
GEOAmey, which took over the £238million prisoner escort contract last month, has been accused of putting public safety at risk.
A female prison officer said she was suspended after she raised concerns about the practice.
The whistleblower refused to accompany a female prisoner from HMP Grampian in an unsecured Citreon Picasso to a hospital appointment in Aberdeen on January 28 – the day GEOAmey took over the contract. She said she had been assaulted while driving an inmate in an unsecured car last year.
In a letter to the GMB, the whistleblower wrote: “The female prisoner assaulted me by kicking my left shoulder. That knocked my hand, which was placed on the gear stick, knocking it out of gear.
“A prisoner can decide to get violent, which could cause an accident or death on our roads.”
Cal Waterson, Scotland organiser of the GMB union, said: “A convicted, violent, criminal must surely be conveyed in a secure vehicle.”
Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson MSP said: “It is not acceptable for prisoners to be driven in normal vehicles which have not been adjusted with the safety of staff or the public in mind”
A GEOAmey spokesman said: “We use a range of cellular and non-cellular vehicles, including mini-buses and cars.
“Each journey and the allocation of an appropriate vehicle is determined after a thorough risk assessment.”
The Scottish Government declined to comment.