Assaults on prison staff reach highest level in a decade
Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in the period up to December 2024, at a rate of 122 per 1,000 prisoners.
The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade, new data shows.
Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014.
The rate of assaults on staff stood at 122 per 1,000 prisoners last year, up from 108 in 2023 and 43 a decade earlier.
The figures come after several incidents in prisons have raised concerns over staff safety and the standard of protective equipment at work.
Four officers were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in County Durham on April 12.
Convicted killer John Mansfield was also found dead after suffering a head injury at HMP Whitemoor on April 13, with another inmate arrested on suspicion of his murder.
Data from the Ministry of Justice also shows the number of serious assaults on prison staff in England and Wales reached 974 last year, up from 853 in 2023 and the highest in a decade.
The rate of serious assaults stood at 11 per 1,000 prisoners, up from 10 in 2023 and six in 2014.
Reacting to the figures, Prison Officers’ Association national chairman Mark Fairhurst said: “These truly appalling statistics demonstrate the gravity of the situation brave prison officers face on a daily basis.
“The time for platitudes has passed and it is now time for action.
“We need to take back control of our violent and chaotic prisons and ensure staff safety is paramount.”
A total of 30,490 assaults of all kinds were recorded in prisons last year, the equivalent of a rate of 351 per 1,000 prisoners.
This is up from 26,924 in 2023 and a rate of 315 per 1,000.
It is the highest number of assaults in a calendar year since 32,539 were recorded in 2018, while it is the highest rate since 368 per 1,000 in 2019.
The overall rate of assaults last year was higher in female jails, at 560 per 1,000 prisoners, than in male establishments, where the rate was 342 per 1,000.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the use of Tasers will be trialled in prisons and confirmed the prison service will conduct a “snap review” of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.
The Lord Chancellor met with Mr Fairhurst on Wednesday, in what he described as a “positive and constructive” meeting as he presses for staff to be issued stab proof vests and other safety measures.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons – with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high.
“We will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff. The Lord Chancellor has announced a review into protective body armour and a trial of tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents.
“But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we’re also reforming our jails so they create better citizens, not better criminals.”
The Ministry of Justice also announced on Thursday that prison officers in public young offender institutions (YOIs) will start using synthetic pepper spray from this summer to combat rising violence from inmates.
