By James Simons-
The police force has responded to cells are not a replacement for prison cells. They are short-term holding places for when people come into police custody and should only be used for that purpose.
It follows news that prisoners could be held in police cells in a bid to reduce “acute and sudden” overcrowding in jails.
Justice minister Damian Hinds told MPs the Government has asked to use 400 police cells to hold inmates after a surge in overcrowding in male prisons over the last few months – the “first time ever” such a rapid increase has occurred, following an “unprecedented increase” in the number of offenders coming into prisons in the North of England, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
In a statement in the Commons on Wednesday, he said: “In recent months we have experienced an acute and sudden increase in the prison population, in part due to the aftermath of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) strike action over the summer which led to a significantly higher number of offenders on remand.
“With court hearings resuming, we are seeing a surge in offenders coming through the criminal justice system, placing capacity pressure on adult male prisons in particular.”
He added: “I’m announcing today that we’ve written to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to request the temporary use of up to 400 police cells through an established protocol known as Operation Safeguard.”
Shadow justice minister Ellie Reeves described the news as “yet another crisis created by this shambolic Tory Government”, adding: “It is hard to think of a more damning indictment of this Government’s failure on law and order than the fact they have now run out of cells to lock up criminals.”
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said the use of police cells to hold offenders “shows the utter failure of Westminster’s justice policy”.
The Prison Governors’ Association said the circumstances were “not unforeseen” and warned that the plan will “cost the taxpayer more” and put “additional pressures on an already stressed criminal justice system”.
Today the force said police officers lack the training to act as custodian prison officers, stating that police officers.
”We are being taken for granted and expected to fill the gap for other public and emergency services. We are expecting police officers to be social workers, mental health specialists, ambulance drivers and now prison officers.
Mental health Illnesses
”There are instances where prisoners may have specific mental health related illnesses that deserve the attention of a suitably and fully trained professional, the force said.
”Our officers are not trained for this and as such, using the police service in this way poses an element of risk to both prisoners and to our officers. It is also imperative that the different needs of neurodiverse prisoners are recognized and support is given, again, from fully trained professionals, not police officers.
There are further concerns to raise here over use of force. What powers will the Ministry of Justice rely on if police officers are acting as prison officers in volatile situations? This exposes our members to unnecessary risks, all while they are doing a job they are not trained for and should not be relied upon to do.
The force said there is a danger if officers are required to transport prisoners in custody from one station to another if local stations lack the capacity or existing capacity is reduced – this will remove them from the streets and local communities for longer periods, at a time when the police service is already over-stretched and under resourced, putting the public at risk. It should be noted too, that this proposal reduces the capacity of a station to fully serve its local community.
”This ill-conceived workaround puts our members and the public in danger, reduces the capacity of our police officers to protect the public and represents a short-term fix to a long-term problem. This serves as a timely reminder of the underfunding in the system as a whole and demonstrates police officers repeatedly being taken for granted. If more prison cells are needed, they should be built, rather than relying on the police service to pick up more within their already overwhelmed workloads”.