Use of Tasers in prisons to be trialled after Manchester bomb plotter attack
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said actions were being taken to better protect prison staff and the public.
The use of Tasers in prisons will be trialled, the Justice Secretary has said, after an incident at HMP Frankland saw guards attacked with hot oil and home-made weapons.
Four prison officers were injured at the jail in Co Durham by Manchester bomb plotter Hashem Abedi, with three taken to hospital earlier this month.
Shabana Mahmood previously announced the Prison Service will investigate whether frontline staff should be given protective body armour and the Ministry of Justice has pledged to carry out a review following the incident.
It comes after union bosses called for officers to be given stab vests and protective equipment, arguing the incident shows “how dangerous our job is”.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Ms Mahmood said: “The House will be aware of the attack at HMP Frankland on the 12 of April. The bravery of the officers involved that day undoubtedly saved lives, my thoughts are with them as they recover.
“I think also of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing and their families who are understandably outraged.
“Since the attack, I have suspended access to kitchens in separation centres and in close supervision centres. Alongside that, an independent review will ascertain how this incident was able to happen, what more must be done to protect prison staff and, more widely, how separation centres are run.
“The Prison Service will also conduct a snap review of the use of protective bodily armour. In addition, I can today announce that HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) will trial the use of Tasers in our prisons.
“Wherever we can strengthen our defences, to better protect our staff and the public, we will do so.”
Elsewhere in justice questions, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticised judge Greg O Ceallaigh and questioned if comments reportedly made by him, including that the Tories should be dealt with the same as the Nazis, were “compatible with judicial impartiality”.
Ms Mahmood said there is a “well-placed mechanism” for making complaints about judges.
She added: “What I’m not going to do is indulge in personal, effectively, doxing of judges. Not when judges are simply doing their job of applying the law in the cases that appear before them.
“If there are complaints to be made about judicial conduct, I’m sure (Mr Jenrick) knows how to go about doing it.”
Intervening, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “We have to be careful on what we’re doing and we’re not stepping into an area we (shouldn’t) be. We’re not meant to criticise judges, and this House wouldn’t do so.”
Mr Jenrick said how judges are appointed should be “properly scrutinised” and he would not “shy away from that”.
He went on to criticise Helen Pitcher, chairwoman of the Judicial Appointments Commission, adding: “Her commission has failed to conduct the most basic checks on potential judges, either out of sheer incompetence or out of sympathy with their hard-left open borders views.
“The commission is broken and is bringing the independence of the judiciary into disrepute.
“How much longer will it take for the Justice Secretary to act and to remove the chair of this commission from her position, and defend the independence and reputation of the judiciary?”
Ms Mahmood said: “What is completely improper is to take his position, in this House, to indulge in a wider attack of the judiciary at a time when we know that judicial security has been compromised.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We will do whatever it takes to protect our hardworking staff. Since November last year, the Prison Service has been exploring the use of Tasers in our prisons.
“This summer, an operational trial into Tasers will be launched for specialised officers to help staff respond to high-risk incidents more effectively.”
