PRISON officers called for urgent action today to tackle soaring violence in jails as the latest figures show they have jumped by 14 per cent in a year.

In the 12 months to September 2024, there were 29,881 assaults on prisoners — equal to 34.2 per cent of inmates — in England and Wales, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

The number of deaths caused by assaults also rose by 18 per cent.