Tasers To Be Issued To Some Prison Staff

Officers with tasers could be drafted into Gartree Prison as part of a trial to tackle violence in custody.

The measure is being deployed at men’s prisons nationwide following attacks on staff, including at the jail near Market Harborough.

In May, a female officer suffered a broken wrist and her male colleague was injured when a TV was thrown at him.

HMP Gartree

Officers based within specialist teams sent to jails in the event of serious violence or disorder have been given tasers and the Ministry of Justice says the trial will run until enough data’s been collected to determine if tasers should be more widely used.

There were 59 assaults on staff at HMP Gartree last year and 89 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults – more than three times the number in 2023.

A spokesperson for the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said: “The POA will always support any initiative that will help protect our members.

“However, as welcome as this initiative is we need to address the reasons why prison officers need Tasers in the first place.”