Latest editorial
A dog handler patrols the perimeter fence of HMP Manchester
STANDARDS have “collapsed” at Manchester prison, which is plagued by drugs, violence and rat infestations, inspectors found today.
The prison inspectorate warned HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, is in desperate need of improvement and issued an urgent notification letter to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood over the squalid conditions at the notorious jail.
They found a “steep rise” in self-harm and that violence is so rampant it has the highest rate of serious assaults in England and Wales.
MARK FAIRHURST highlights the main issues facing officers in a long neglected service, and raised by front-line delegates at POA conference last week, including understaffing, violence, bullying and the ongoing denial of workers’ right to strike
Working in a high-risk sector, prison officers’ calls for proper PPE must be heeded – and the POA will be fighting to ensure effective protection at work is delivered, writes MARK FAIRHURST
