In an alarming incident at HMP Bullingdon, a prisoner armed with a sharpened plastic knife made a chilling assassination attempt on a prison officer.
Kevin Jones, 41, now residing in Broadmoor Hospital, has been handed a 14-year sentence following his audacious attack, reinforcing a troubling surge in prison assaults across England and Wales.
The unsettling scene was captured on the prison’s CCTV system (scroll down for the video), showing Jones stalking the officer around the Blackthorn Unit.
Holding a pre-existing grudge against the prison officer, Jones used the homemade weapon to lunge at the unsuspecting officer, aiming for the neck.
Thanks to the officer’s quick response, he avoided the assault, and fellow officers swiftly restrained Jones.
A recent report shows an alarming trend, with prison assaults rising 7% in the year ending December 2022. Shockingly, this brings the total to 20,933 assault incidents across English and Welsh prisons.
Serious assault incidents have spiked even more dramatically, rising by 19% in the same period.
While Jones’ attack was unsuccessful, his target was not unique. Assaults on prison staff accounted for 7,229 of the overall incidents, a figure only down slightly by 4% from the previous year.
Among these, 709 were classified as serious, marking a 2% year-on-year increase.
These persistent attacks on prison staff have led to a surge in resignations, further pressuring the prison system.
There’s been a noticeable increase in band 3-5 prison officers leaving their roles, with a departure rate of 14.5% for the year ending 31 March 2023.
The operational support staff (band 2) have seen an even higher leaving rate of 18.3%.
Alarmingly, more than half of the officers who left the service last year had served less than three years.
Even more concerning, over a quarter (26%) resigned after less than a year. Compared to the previous year, there was a whopping 60% increase in prison officer resignations, with nearly 1 in 7 choosing to walk away.
This alarming trend of assaults and resignations presents a crucial challenge for the prison service.
With violence on the rise and staff morale on a downward spiral, a solution must be found to ensure the safety and welfare of those working on the front line of our prison system.
1/2 WATCH Chilling CCTV shows the moment inmate Kevin Jones attempts to murder a prison officer.
— Emergency-Services.News (@ES_News_) June 1, 2023
Amid escalating violence within UK prisons, it's high time for reform. #PrisonReform #JusticeSystem@POAUnion
Link to full story in 2nd tweet pic.twitter.com/FuwKsQOGjq
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