It’s been revealed that a prison officer at the Albany branch of HMP Isle of Wight was assaulted with a razor blade by an inmate at the weekend.
Although the officer at the Category B prison had “superficial” cuts to his throat, the Prison Officer’s Association said he was “left shaken” after the incident.
Being treated as attempted murder
OnTheWight spoke to Mark Fairhurst, the National Rep for Prison Officer’s Association (POA).
He told us,
“The officer was escorting the prisoner back to cell when he grabbed the officer and held a sharped-edged weapon to his throat and attempted to take him hostage.
“Luckily a fast-acting colleague noticed this and made moves to rescue the officer.
“We’re treating this as attempted murder.”
Rise in violence against staff
Nationally, violence by offenders against staff has risen 43%, which the POA put down to staffing cuts.
Mr Fairhurst added,
“We want a commendation from the prison’s management for the member of staff who went the rescue of his colleague.
“It’s fantastic that he was saved.”
Razor blade hidden in mouth
The chairman of the Prison Officer’s Association at HMP Isle of Wight’s Albany branch, Neil Yule, told the BBC the inmate had hidden a razor blade in his mouth after receiving medical treatment, which he then used to attack one of the officers.
He said,
“Thankfully the wounds are superficial, however the attempt was certainly to cause major damage. It was a very nasty incident and the officer remains very shaken.
“I think it could have been an awful lot worse and the prison officer has had an exceptionally lucky escape.”
Investigation underway
The inmate has now been moved to Parkhurst Prison. A spokesperson from the Prison Service told OnTheWight,
A Prison Service spokesperson said:
“We do not tolerate violence against our hard working and dedicated staff, and when incidents like this occur, we work closely with the police to push for the strongest possible punishment.
“The Justice Secretary has been clear that levels of violence in prisons are unacceptable, which is why she announced a major overhaul of the prison system last week.
“This incident is being investigated by the police so it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
HMP Isle of Wight
HMP Isle of Wight came about in 2009 when the three prisons, Camp Hill, Albany and Parkhurst merged. The Camp Hill site closed in 2013 reducing the prison population by around 500.
Those who do not require maximum security, but for whom escape would still pose a large risk to members of the community.
Albany is a Category B prison for sex offenders or vulnerable prisoners with sentences of four years or more, with at least 18 months left to serve and eligible for rehabilitation activities.
Parkhurst is for sentenced prisoners serving over four years, including vulnerable prisoners, stage 1 and 2 life sentence prisoners and Isle of Wight residents on remand.
Article edit
14.10: Comment from Mark Fairhurst added.
SourceBBC
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