Latest editorial
HUNDREDS of prison officers will be ferried around England and Wales this Christmas, trying to plug the gaps left by severe staff shortages at major expense to the taxpayer.
Campaign group the Howard League for Penal Reform released facts from an official dossier yesterday detailing the desperate manoeuvrings to prop up overstretched facilities.
It echoes previous warnings from the Prison Officers Association (POA) that funding cuts and plummeting morale in the service have seen staff leave in their droves and created a dire shortage.
Our members face serious violence, crumbling workplaces and exposure to dangerous drugs — it is outrageous we still cannot legally use our industrial muscle to fight back and defend ourselves, writes STEVE GILLAN
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
