LONDON: Rioting prisoners took control of two wings of an English jail on Friday, prison bosses said, in the latest serious incident of trouble at a British jail this year.
The disturbance began at HMP Birmingham in central England, which can hold 1,450 male prisoners, shortly after 0900 GMT, forcing staff to withdraw, according to G4S, the private firm that runs the prison.
The BBC reported the incident began after a prison officer was overpowered by inmates who stole his keys.
“Our teams withdrew following a disturbance and sealed two wings, which include some administrative offices,” said Jerry Pethericka, Managing Director for G4S custodial and detention services. “The disturbance has since spread to two further wings. All staff have been accounted for.”
The Prison Officers’ Association (POA), which represents jail staff, said the incident involved about 300 inmates.
G4S said extra officers had been sent to the jail, which was built in 1849 near Birmingham city centre, and dog units had also been deployed to attempt to regain control.
“We are working with colleagues across the service to bring this disturbance to a safe conclusion,” Pethericka said.
There have been several incidents in jails this year including an alleged murder, and last month prisoners took over parts of Bedford prison in central England before police and extra prison officers were drafted in to restore control.
A week after the Bedford incident, thousands of prison officers in England and Wales walked out in protest at rising levels of jail violence and concerns about the health and safety of staff and inmates.
The government has unveiled plans to reform prisons and improve safety, but the Prison Governors’ Association (PGA) said jails were in a parlous state because of a decline in pay and the cutting of staff numbers.
“The prison service is around 800 uniformed staff short and the cavalry of the promised additional 2,500 staff are months and years away from arriving,” it added in a statement.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)
