A surge in foreign prison officer recruitment may be contributing to the growing number of accidental prisoner releases in the UK, raising fresh concerns about safety and oversight in the prison system, an expert has warned.
Speaking to GB News, Tom Jones, who has written for The Critic, highlighted overcrowding and high numbers of prisoners on remand as one of the main challenges facing prisons today, noting that the number of remand prisoners is the highest for half a century.
The expert’s comments come amid heightened scrutiny following the accidental releases of prisoners from HMP Wandsworth, including sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and convicted fraudster William Smith, within the same week.
These releases follow weeks after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was accidentally freed from HMP Chelmsford, prompting political questions over safeguards in the system and renewed calls for accountability.
Tom Jones explained that it could be a cultural issue
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GB NEWS
Speaking to The People’s Channel, Mr Jones said: “One of the big issues with this is overcrowding in prisons and the number of prisoners now held on remand, which is the highest it has been for around half a century.
“Unfortunately, remand prisoners need to be moved much more frequently than normal prisoners for trial and other proceedings, which increases the risk of errors occurring during transfers or releases.
“There have been reports from specific prisons, like Bullingdon, which have shown a significant number of inexperienced officers, raising concerns about their capability.
“Around 30 per cent of new officers in that particular prison were recruited directly from overseas.
“Across the prison service, a much larger proportion of new officers are being brought in from abroad, mainly from West Africa.”
According to FOI responses cited by the Daily Mail, just under 2,500 foreign nationals have been hired as prison officers over the last three years, making up more than 20 per cent of all new hires.
Two prisoners were mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth
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PAMr Jones raised concerns about English language proficiency, explaining that while fluency is a requirement, many recruits reportedly do not have the level of reading and writing skills needed to perform core aspects of the job effectively.
He said: “Language is only part of the problem, because there are also potential cultural issues.
“For example, at Swaleside prison, a trainee officer reportedly asked during a training meeting what an acceptable level of bribery would be in the system.
“Coincidentally, eight prison officers were arrested later that year at Swaleside on corruption charges.
“So you can see that English language problems are not the only issue; cultural and operational factors also present risks.”
Mr Lammy was questioned about what he knew regarding the missing prisoners, but refused to answer when pressed during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Earlier, he had been asked in the House of Commons whether any additional prisoners had been mistakenly released since Kebatu.
As PMQs was ending, the Met Police released a statement revealing a foreign prisoner had been released by mistake last Wednesday, with the force informed on Tuesday.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson later said: “On entering the House of Commons, facts were still emerging about the case and the Deputy Prime Minister had not been accurately informed of key details, including the offender’s immigration status.
“The DPM waited until after PMQs and further facts had emerged before making a statement.”