Durham MP urges Government to act after HMP Frankland attack
Speaking in the House of Commons, Ms Foy highlighted concerns raised by the Prison Officers’ Association and called on the Government to move quickly in considering the routine issuing of stab-proof vests across the high-security estate.
The Labour MP asked: “While I was grateful for the Minister for Prisons’ reply to my correspondence, I did note the lack of commitment around the issuing of stab-proof vests: something the Prison Officers’ Association has repeatedly called for.
“There are too many prison officers left worrying: ‘Will I leave work in my own car, or in the back of an ambulance?’”.
Last month, Ms Foy called on the Government to issue stab proof vests to prison officers at HMP Frankland following an attack by Hashem Abedi.
The Frankland prison officers were attacked by the Manchester Arena bomb plotter, as they were stabbed and had hot oil thrown over them.
Following the attack, the City of Durham MP wrote to the Justice Secretary to address “the urgent need for action” to protect prison officers.
In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, Ms Foy has urged the Government ‘in the strongest possible terms’ to provide stab-proof vests for prison officers at all Category A prisons.
In response to the Labour MP’s latest call for stab proof vests for prison officers, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Nick Dakin MP, confirmed that His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has launched a review to assess whether body armour should be routinely issued to prison officers.
The review is expected to report in June. “This is an urgent issue,” the Minister said, and “this review will inform [future] decisions on protective equipment for protective body armour in the prison estate.”
Following the exchange, Ms Foy said: “Our prison officers put themselves in harm’s way every single day, and they deserve the full protection of the state. I will be following this review closely and I’ll constantly remind the Government of the urgency of additional workplace protections for our prison officers.”
It comes after a petition was launched by former HMP Frankland prison officer Claire Lewis.
Claire and a colleague were slashed by killer Kevan Thakrar at HMP Frankland on March 13, 2010, in which she suffered a career ending injury.
She said the day of her attack is one she will “never forget.”
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She said: “To think that you are going to lose your life and never see your children again plays with your mind.
“I have got PTSD, I still have injuries, and dealing with this has been enormous.”
The petition has now gained more than 30,000 signatures since it was launched.