The shadow justice secretary has raised concerns about the recent attacks on prison officers, warning that if the government does not take action, a prison officer will be killed. Robert Jenrick highlighted the escalating violence, including incidents involving Axel Rudakubana and Hashem Abedi, who attacked officers at HMP Belmarsh and HMP Frankland, respectively.
During these attacks, Rudakubana threw boiling water at an officer and Abedi threw hot cooking oil and stabbed officers with improvised blades. Jenrick called for immediate action, including providing stab vests to officers dealing with dangerous inmates and removing kettles from high-risk prisoners.
Despite the urgency of the situation, justice minister Sir Nicholas Dakin stated that a review of safety measures, including the use of kettles, is ongoing. He acknowledged that overcrowded prisons contribute to increased violence against officers and mentioned plans to trial tasers for specialised officers to enhance safety in the future. The issue of officer safety is of great concern, with calls for concrete actions to protect those working in dangerous environments.