Prisoners

(asked on 4th January 2016) - View Source
Questioner
Andy Slaughter Portrait
Andy Slaughter
(Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) times and to which prisons (i) Tornado Teams and (ii) the National Tactical Response Group have been called out, (b) Gold Command prison incidents there have been and (c) times (i) police stations and (ii) court cells have been used to accommodate prisoners in each month since January 2014.

Answered by
Andrew Selous Portrait
Andrew Selous
Second Church Estates Commissioner
This question was answered on 29th February 2016

Violence in prisons has increased in recent years. The nature of offenders currently in custody and the widespread availability of novel psychoactive substances have both contributed to making prisons less safe. There is no single, simple solution to the problems we face but we are making progress.

We have launched a two year Violence Reduction project to help us to gain a better understanding of the causes and characteristics of violence in prisons and to strengthen the handling of this. We are also trialling the use of body worn cameras in prisons, training sniffer dogs to detect new psychoactive substances and have made it an offence to smuggle new psychoactive substances into prison. However, ultimately the only way to reduce violence in our prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively reform and rehabilitate offenders, which we are determined to see through.

The safety of staff and prisoners is a priority. Gold Command is opened in order to deal with incidents as quickly and safely as possible. Not all incidents turn out to be serious, but Gold Command is opened as a precaution when incidents are regarded as potentially serious.

Table 1: Deployment of Tornado Teams to prisons and other establishments between January 2014 and December 2015

* IRC – immigration removal centre

Establishment and Type of Incident

No. Incidents Per Year (By Type)

2014

2015

Brinsford

Hostage

1

Bristol

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Channings Wood

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Deerbolt

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Doncaster

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Featherstone

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Garth

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Gartree

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Glen Parva

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Harmondsworth

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Haverigg

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

High Down

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Humber

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Isis

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Leicester

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Lindholme

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Manchester

Incident At Height

1

Moorland

Concerted Indiscipline

Morton Hall IRC

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Northumberland

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Nottingham

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Oakwood

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Portland

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Ranby

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Stocken

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Swinfen Hall

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Wandsworth

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Wayland

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Table 2: National Tactical Response Group callouts between January 2014 and December 2015.

Establishment and Type of Incident

No. of Incidents Per Year (By Type)

2014

2015

Altcourse

Hostage

1

Incident At Height

4

Aylesbury

Incident At Height

1

1

Hostage

1

Bedford

Incident At Height

2

Belmarsh

Incident At Height

2

2

Birmingham

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

1

3

Brinsford

Hostage

1

1

Bristol

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

4

Hostage

1

Brixton

Barricade

2

Incident At Height

2

Buckley Hall

Incident At Height

1

2

Bullingdon

Explosive Threat

1

Incident At Height

4

Hostage

3

Cardiff

Barricade

2

Incident At Height

4

1

Hostage

1

1

Channings Wood

Incident At Height

2

3

Chelmsford

Hostage

1

Incident At Height

1

2

Coldingley

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

2

Colnbrook

Incident At Height

1

Cookham Wood

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Deerbolt

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

1

Hostage

3

1

Doncaster

Barricade

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

6

Hostage

2

Dovegate

Barricade

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

Dover

Incident At Height

2

Durham

Incident At Height

2

5

Hostage

1

Eastwood Park

Incident At Height

1

Elmley

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

Erlestoke

Incident At Height

1

1

Exeter

Incident At Height

2

Featherstone

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

2

Prisoner in Crisis

1

Feltham

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

2

2

Forest Bank

Incident At Height

1

Frankland

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Full Sutton

Incident At Height

1

1

Garth

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

2

Incident At Height

2

Gartree

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

Glen Parva

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Incident At Height

2

7

Hostage

3

2

Guys Marsh

Incident At Height

3

1

Harmondsworth

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Haverigg

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

Incident At Height

5

1

Hewell

Incident At Height

8

2

High Down

Incident At Height

5

4

Barricade

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Highpoint

Barricade

2

Incident At Height

1

3

Hostage

2

Hindley

Barricade

Incident At Height

6

2

Concerted Indiscipline/Barricade

1

Holme House

Hostage

1

Incident At Height

1

1

Hull

Barricade

1

Hostage

1

Incident At Height

1

1

Humber

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

1

3

Incident At Height

3

8

Isis

Hostage

2

Incident At Height

1

7

Self-Harm

1

Kennett

Barricade

1

Lancaster Farms

Barricade

1

Hostage

1

Hostage/Barricade

1

Incident At Height

3

1

Leeds

Barricade

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

1

1

Incident At Height

1

10

Leicester

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

1

Incident At Height

3

10

Lewes

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

3

Lincoln

Hostage

1

1

Incident At Height

1

4

Lindholme

Barricade

2

Concerted Indiscipline

2

2

Incident At Height

5

8

Hostage

1

3

Littlehey

Incident At Height

1

Liverpool

Incident At Height

6

4

Hostage

1

Lowdham Grange

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Incident At Height

4

6

Hostage

1

Manchester

Incident At Height

1

9

Moorland

Barricade

2

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

2

Incident At Height

2

3

Hostage

1

1

Morton Hall

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

Incident At Height

1

1

Northumberland

Barricade

1

Concerted Indiscipline

2

1

Incident At Height

1

4

Norwich

Incident At Height

1

Nottingham

Barricade

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

Hostage

1

2

Incident At Height

12

3

Oakwood

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

1

Hostage

1

Onley

Incident At Height

2

1

Hostage

1

Parc

Incident At Height

5

10

Parkhurst

Incident At Height

1

Pentonville

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

5

4

Hostage

1

Peterborough

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

2

Portland

Incident At Height

3

2

Hostage

1

Preston

Incident At Height

1

3

Ranby

Barricade

2

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

6

2

Hostage

2

Risley

Incident At Height

4

1

Rochester

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

1

4

Hostage

1

Rye Hill

Incident At Height

2

1

Stafford

Incident At Height

1

1

Stocken

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Incident At Height

3

Hostage

2

Stoke Heath

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

Styal

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

1

Swaleside

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

2

2

Hostage

1

4

Swansea

Incident At Height

1

1

Swinfen Hall

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

2

Hostage

3

Thameside

Incident At Height

4

The Mount

Incident At Height

9

Hostage

1

Wandsworth

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Incident At Height

3

12

Self-Harm

1

Wayland

Barricade

4

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

Incident At Height

2

2

Hostage

2

2

Wealstun

Incident At Height

1

1

Werrington

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Incident At Height

1

5

Hostage

1

Wetherby

Incident At Height

3

7

Whatton

Hostage

1

Whitemoor

Hostage

1

Incident At Height

2

1

Winchester

Incident At Height

4

2

Hostage

2

Wolds

Incident At Height

1

Woodhill

Incident At Height

1

4

Hostage

1

Wormwood Scrubs

Barricade

1

Incident At Height

2

3

Wymott

Incident At Height

2

Table 3: Gold Command Suite Openings between January 2014 and December 2015

Where ‘NOMS’ is listed as the establishment, this is referring to industrial action taken by members of prison staff.

Establishment

Incident Type

No. of Openings Per Year (By Incident)

2014

2015

Altcourse

Hostage

2

Aylesbury

Hostage

1

Brinsford

Hostage

1

1

Bristol

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Buckley Hall

Concerted Indiscipline

Bullingdon

Hostage

3

Cardiff

Hostage

1

Channings Wood

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Fire

1

Chelmsford

Hostage

1

Cookham Wood

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

Deerbolt

Hostage

3

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Doncaster

Hostage

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Dovegate

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Durham

Hostage

1

Elmley

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

1

Featherstone

Incident at Height

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Garth

Hostage

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

Gartree

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Glen Parva

Hostage

7

1

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Harmondsworth

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Haslar

Hostage

1

Haverigg

Hostage

2

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

High Down

Hostage

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Highpoint

Hostage

1

2

Holme House

Hostage

1

Hull

Hostage

1

Humber

Hostage

3

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

Isis

Hostage

2

Barricade

1

Isle of Wight

Incident at Height

1

Lancaster Farms

Hostage

1

Leeds

Hostage

1

1

Incident at Height

1

Leicester

Hostage

2

Incident at Height

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Lewes

Incident at Height

1

Lincoln

Hostage

1

1

Incident at Height

1

Lindholme

Incident at Height

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

1

3

Littlehey

Hostage

1

Liverpool

Hostage

1

Incident at Height

1

Long Lartin

Hostage

1

Lowdham Grange

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Manchester

Incident at Height

1

Moorland

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

2

Morton Hall

Concerted Indiscipline

1

1

NOMS

Industrial Action

1

Northumberland

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Norwich

Hostage

1

Nottingham

Hostage

1

4

Oakwood

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Onley

Hostage

1

Incident at Height

1

Pentonville

Hostage

1

Incident at Height

1

Portland

Hostage

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Preston

Hostage

2

Ranby

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Hostage

2

1

Rochester

Hostage

1

Barricade

1

Incident at Height

1

1

Rye Hill

Hostage

1

Stocken

Hostage

2

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Swaleside

Hostage

2

4

Incident at Height

1

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Swansea

Hostage

1

Swinfen Hall

Hostage

3

1

Concerted Indiscipline

1

The Mount

Incident at Height

1

Hostage

1

Wandsworth

Miscellaneous

1

Concerted Indiscipline

2

Incident at Height

2

Wayland

Hostage

2

3

Concerted Indiscipline

1

Werrington

Hostage

1

Whatton

Hostage

1

Whitemoor

Hostage

1

Winchester

Hostage

2

Woodhill

Hostage

1

As part of standard logistical arrangements, there are occasions where prisoners may be temporarily held overnight in police cells. We are not using police cells due to a lack of space but because it is not always possible to transfer prisoners from courts to prisons in the time available at the end of court sittings. This is not the same as using Operation Safeguard, as in 2007-08. Court cells have not been used to hold prisoners during the time period specified in the question.

Table 4: The total number of prisoners who were temporarily held overnight in police cells in England and Wales January 2015 – December 2015.

The totals include adults, young adults (18 to 20-year-olds) and young people (15 to 17-year-olds).

Number of Lockouts

2014

2015

January

168

89

February

372

112

March

175

74

April

64

107

May

46

47

June

112

113

July

274

180

August

116

63

September

62

137

October

96

174

November

149

195

December

111

151

Total

1745

1442

Reticulating Splines