Conservatives have called for some UK prison officers to be given access to firearms to combat “rogue” Islamist gangs and violent prisoners.
Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said special teams should be equipped with stun guns, stun grenades and, in extreme cases, lethal force.
He also insisted on the immediate provision of high-collared bulletproof vests to frontline staff, citing threats from inmates following recent attacks on prison workers.
“Islamist gangs and violent criminals in our prisons are out of control. This is a national security emergency, but the government is hesitating.
“Unless it takes urgent action, there is a real risk of a prison officer being kidnapped or killed while on duty, or of a terrorist attack from within the institution,” he wrote in The Telegraph.
He said he had instructed former prison governor Ian Acheson to carry out an urgent review.
“We must stop standing on ceremony with Islamist extremists and criminals in prison,” he said.
“This involves equipping special teams of prison guards with tasers and stun grenades, and giving them access to lethal weapons in rare cases.
“If prison governors are unable to keep high-powered terrorists and radicalized prisoners separate from the general prison population, then we are losing control of our prisons – they are in control. We must take back our power and restore order by giving officers the authority and protection they need.”
This happened after attacks by high-profile prisoners.
Last month, Manchester Arena plot mastermind Hashem Abedi ambushed prison staff with boiling oil and homemade weapons.
Southport killer Axel Rudakuban is alleged to have attacked a Belmarsh prison officer earlier this month by pouring boiling water on him.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an urgent inquiry into the need for more frequent use of body armour, and trials are planned this summer to give Tasers to law enforcement officers dealing with serious incidents.
Staff at men's prisons in the state sector already have access to batons and Pava, a synthetic form of pepper spray.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
