rison staff fear people may get killed in UK ‘super jail’ after violence rises
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Prison staff at the UK’s first ‘super prison’ have spoken of the violence and abuse they face every day – with fears it will escalate and get out of control.
Staff at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire have spoken about the violent behaviour of inmates on a daily basis, and said they fear a colleague may be killed if it isn’t dealt with.
Three prison guards have blown the whistle on life inside the state-of-the-art super-prison run by security firm G4S.
They told Sky News they are short-staffed, there are too many inexperienced staff, they are under-equipped and there is a culture that is allowing prisoners to run riot.
Dubbed a smart prison, HMP Five Wells is the government’s solution to the old-fashioned Victorian prison estate.
It was built between 2019 and 2021 on 36 acres of land near Wellingborough, costing £253m.
At full capacity it can hold 1,680 prisoners. It has X shape blocks with wider, shorter corridors, which are supposedly easier to control with ultra-secure windows designed to keep out drugs and illegal phones.
One member of staff said: ‘We’re lacking equipment….We’re lucky if we get a radio to go on to the landings.
And we’ve got a very limited amount of bodycams that work. It’s like a lucky dip raffle.’
The man we will call Harry, to protect his identity, said that inmates can tell when the bodycam isn’t functioning.
He said life inside the prison is a dangerous mix of inexperienced staff and prisoners who are more aggressive than you might expect in a Category C jail.
He said: ‘The prisoners run the prison…If things don’t change someone is going to get killed.
‘And it will be a prison officer. I love my job, but what’s it going to take? Is it going to take for someone to be killed in that place before someone says, we need to do something about this?’
The officer said he and his colleagues are constantly finding homemade or smuggled weapons in the prison.
He said previously a prison officer was stabbed in the head with a metal spike.
Another serving officer said: ‘My fear is something major is going to happen there. Someone’s going to get stabbed, or somebody is going to get murdered within that prison, be it a staff member or a prisoner.’
She said abuse is common and added: ‘We get urine and faeces thrown in our face. We get spat at. We get things thrown at us.
‘An officer got stabbed a few weeks ago. We get punched, kicked, tripped up, hit with pool cues. Something like that happens on a daily basis.’
While a third officer said staff aren’t searched nearly enough and is the main issue.
She said: ‘I would say everyday [a search] should be imperative. Sometimes you go weeks, three weeks, four weeks.
‘But that was just mainly in the mornings, the night times you would never, never get searched
It was blatantly obvious that the senior management just didn’t care at all about the welfare of the staff. Number one, your biggest asset is your staff.’
She also believes some officers have been encouraged to apply for their jobs by prisoners because, on top of their salary, they can earn good money bringing contraband items into the jail. She said: ‘I do believe some staff have been placed in there by prisoners because it’s easy to get a job in there.’
The three officers’ main concern is the safety of them and their colleagues. One member said at the end of each day he is relieved that he has ‘managed to get out without injury’.
Another said she is afraid for her life because each day ‘you don’t know what’s going to go in your back’.
G4S told Sky News that staff have adequate bodycams, radios and alarm buttons that can be pressed for assistance.
It said in September an officer received a single minor superficial injury to his temple and two to his back, but the officer was not stabbed.
A spokesperson said: ‘The safety of staff and prisoners is our number one priority, and we do not tolerate violence.
‘Managers take swift and robust action when serious incidents do happen. Such incidents are then referred to the police to support further prosecution.
‘We have sufficient levels of staffing to run a stable, consistent and safe regime. We continue to drive recruitment to increase our staffing numbers which will enable us to broaden our current prison regime.
‘The majority of our employees have more than 12 months’ prison experience and we have a large group of officers on secondment from other G4S prisons, providing additional support and experience. We are further increasing the number of First Line Managers to provide additional guidance and to mentor newly recruited staff.
‘HMP Five Wells staff are proud of the good work that has been carried out since opening to support and develop employees and to help prisoners turn their lives around. We know there is more to be done and continue to take steps to improve the regime every day.
‘Our dedicated officers work tirelessly to detect, intercept and confiscate contraband through a range of measures including the use of patrol and drug detection dogs, joint operations with Northamptonshire Police and HMPPS counter-corruption colleagues.
‘We understand that working in a prison is a very rewarding vocation but can also be challenging and we are committed to supporting and caring for our staff.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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