By Eric King-
Prison officers around the Uk will be equipped with incapacitant spray to stay safe when working with prisoners. British prisons are one of the most dangerous and violent in the world, but there are other dens in some parts of the world.
The decision to equip prison officers with the spray follows a successful trial by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) at 4 prisons in the Uk. Prison inmates can be very unruly and violent, bringing harvoc to the lives of new inmates, and often subjecting new prisoners to a humiliating form of robbery. Birmingham and Chelmsford prisons are two of the dangerous prisons in the Uk.
PAVA can help to de-escalate potentially violent situations, keeping staff and prisoners safe from serious harm as part of wider drive to protect officers and improve safety and security in prisons.
Prison officers across the country will be equipped with incapacitant spray to help keep them safe and maintain order, Prisons Minister Rory Stewart announced today .
Following a successful pilot conducted by HMPPS who have made the decision to roll out nationally, a £2 million investment will ensure every prison officer in the adult male estate is equipped with PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray which temporarily incapacitates those it is sprayed upon.
PAVA can help to prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners alike, and be instrumental in persuading prisoners in the act of violence to stop. It is believed the equipment will be a crucial step to help reduce serious harm in prisons.
IMMINENT
The spray will only be deployed in limited circumstances when there is serious violence or an imminent risk of it taking place, and where its deployment will reduce the risk of serious injury. All prison officers will receive specialist training before being allowed to carry the spray. It will be delivered in prisons where ‘keyworker’ training has already been rolled out. This will allow officers to build more positive relationships with prisoners, support their rehabilitation and manage difficult behaviour – before the need for any force is required.
This is the latest of a number of measures taken by government to protect prison officers, which include doubling the maximum sentence for those who assault them as well as rolling out body worn cameras, ‘police-style’ handcuffs and restraints. Meanwhile more than 3,500 additional officers have been recruited since October 2016.
It comes amid a wider drive to bring stability to prisons, with a £40 million investment announced over the summer to improve the prison estate and tackle the problems that drive much of the violence, including drugs and mobile phones.