‘My former colleagues were attacked at HMP Frankland – prisons are more dangerous for guards than ever’
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA former colleague of the prison officers who were attacked at HMP Frankland on the weekend has warned that jails are more dangerous for staff now than ever.The ex-prison officer, who wished to remain anonymous, demanded more support for those working in a prison service that is “on its knees” due to overcrowding and longer sentences.He called the attack, allegedly carried out by a notorious inmate in the County Durham prison over the weekend “just the tip of the iceberg” as he claimed incidents against guards go underreported. The latest government data, from April 2023 to March 2024, shows there are 114 assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners.The three guards targeted on Saturday were allegedly attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester bomb plotter Hashem Abedi, according to the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), which is the trade union that represents prison officers.Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said the prime minister was “appalled” by the attack and pledged that the government would urgently investigate what occurred. The Ministry of Justice announced there will be an independent review into the incident and that it has suspended access to kitchens in separation and close supervision units, where inmates are kept apart from the general prison population, with an internal review of their use in these settings to take place.open image in galleryManchester bomb plotter Hashem Abedi allegedly attacked the guards on Saturday, the trade union that represents prison officers said (Greater Manchester Police)In another violent prison attack at the weekend, convicted murderer John Mansfield, 63, killed at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. A male prisoner, 44, has now been arrested on suspicion of murder following the second incident on Sunday.Speaking to The Independent after news of the second incident broke, the anonymous former prison officer said: “I don’t think the public understand how dangerous it is for staff these days – it’s worse now than it ever was.”The guard, who has worked in various prisons across the UK over four recent years, said he had worked with the trio who were attacked at HMP Frankland over a number of years and was “shocked” when he found out they had been assaulted. “We used to have each others back, and sit and have a laugh and a joke together,” he said.He said it was one female and two male guards who were targeted, with one allegedly cut in the throat and another “scarred for life with burns”. He claimed two of the three may never return to work. “Assuming they’ll all pull through, they’re going to be scarred for the rest of their lives,” he said.Describing how prison officers go into work every day facing the potential of an attack like that, he said: “There’s no such thing as a safe jail.”open image in galleryHMP Whitemoor is a maximum security prison for men in March, Cambridgeshire (PA Archive)The guard said he had spoken with the members of staff who had responded to the attack. “It’s going to play with their heads, it’s going to stick with them for rest of lives,” he said. “I’ve been there when you’re cleaning a colleague’s blood off the floor and not knowing whether they’re going to be okay – it’s horrifying.”He was referring to an incident that happened at a prison in 2022 when he was still working as a guard. He said his colleague was stabbed by a prisoner on a day when it had allegedly been noted that the wing was facing staff shortages.“I remember dragging him off the wing and screaming for help and not knowing if anyone was coming to help him – and that’s the prison service now,” he said.He also described a “horrible” incident when he was “potted”, which is when prisoners throw human waste and faeces over guards, something he said was becoming more common as he was leaving the prison service.“There’s not enough support for staff across board,” he said, calling for change.He described high-security prisons like Frankland as especially problematic for staff because it is a “prison full of criminals of the highest order” with “absolutely nothing to lose” as many are serving life sentences. “Prisoners are literally running the show,” he said. “And staff do their best to minimise activities.”A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government would do whatever it took to keep staff safe “and our thoughts remain with the two prison officers still in hospital as they recover.”“We’ve already taken immediate action to suspend access to kitchens in separation and close supervision centres,” the spokesperson said. “We will also launch a full independent review into how this attack was able to happen and will set out the terms and scope of this review in the coming days.”
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