£3m prisons bill to ease staffing crisis

ALMOST £3million of taxpayers’ money was squandered last year sending prison officers across the country to plug gaps at crisis jails.

Low morale and poor wages are sparking mass walkouts – leaving prisons critically short. Many of the worst-hit jails are in the south, where a wage of £25,000 is not proving enough to tempt new recruits concerned over rampant violence and drug abuse.

A former prison officer at Manchester’s notorious Strangeways said the staff crisis was forcing governors to parachute in stand-in officers from their home jails amid fears of escalating violence.

More than £2.6million was spent on hotels for “detached duty” staff last year, Ministry of Justice figures seen by the

Sunday Express show.and £250,000 went on train fares, leaving an expenses bill five times bigger than that of 2013.

Neil Samworth, who worked at Strangeways for a decade, said some prisons were so desperate for cover they were tempting stand-ins with bumper bonuses.

“There’s a major staff crisis right now,” he said. “Yes, the Ministry of Justice has pledged this huge recruitment drive but what they’re not telling you is that so many experienced officers are leaving the service, causing huge gaps.

“The ones replacing them are rookies straight out of school who simply don’t know how to deal with the torrent of violence and abuse they’re facing on a daily basis. That then leads to longer bang ups and more aggressive, frustrated cons.

“The upshot is that jails then need more officers, especially the ones down south, so they are taking officers from up north on detached duty. I know at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, one of the big secure category As, they’re offering bonuses as sweetners on top of their overtime.

“But as you can see in those astrononmical expense figures, it’s costing the taxpayer a hell of a lot just to put them up.

“They get something like £26 expenses for food, plus hotel and train fare, so it’s an attractive proposition for many.”

The Howard League for Penal Reform

‘Officers are leaving, causing huge gaps’ ‘It’s costing taxpayers a hell of a lot’

says extremely low wages have left many officers unwilling to put up with increasing suicides and brutality.

Justice minister Lucy Frazer said: “Prison officers do a challenging and vital job to help protect the public and we are committed to making sure we have enough staff to deliver safe regimes in our prisons.

“Detached duty is one of the measures taken to ensure safe and decent running.”