PR 277: PRISONS CRISIS TO DOMINATE UNION CONFERENCE

Prison Officers from across the UK will attend one of the most important Conferences for the Union in decades. 

Next week delegates will gather in Eastbourne with the crisis in Prisons set to dominate the agenda. 

The Conference comes in the aftermath of the terror attack at Frankland Prison that left 3 Prison Officers seriously injured and hospitalised.

Understaffing, Prison Officer safety, violence against staff and the health consequences for those working in the UK’s jails are likely to dominate the concerns of delegates.

The Conference will debate motions from POA branches from the four nations of the UK and will be addressed by a series of guest speakers including Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons and Reducing Reoffending and Phil Copple, DG CEO of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. 

Mark Fairhurst POA National Chair said: 

“This is a very important Conference. 

The terror attack at HMP Frankland has infuriated our members. We have been warning about the dangers our members face for years without the necessary protections in place and have been ignored by politicians and HMPPS. We will not allow them to ignore us any longer. 

The prison service is in crisis and how to address this crisis will be central to the discussions we will have this week. 

The Government and HMPPS must listen to the Prison Officers who are on the frontline and show that they care about these brave public servants who work every day to keep our society safe.”

Steve Gillan, General Secretary of the POA added: 

“Prison Officers deliver a key public service.  Their professionalism and skill is vital for the safe running of the UK’s jails but their work is being undermined by a series of crises that we have warned about for years. 

This week’s conference will hear directly from delegates about the impact of overcrowding, understaffing, violence, drug misuse and the influence of organised crime on the safe running of the prison system. 

This week the POA will be delivering a stark message to the Government and HMPPS - Prison Officers have had enough of seeing our concerns dismissed, enough of being patronised and enough of having our safety compromised. 

We demand urgent action to protect us and to allow us to safely do the job we are trained to do.” 

ENDS

Event:
Prison Officers’ Association Conference
Floral Hall, Welcome Building
Compton Street
Eastbourne
BN21 4BP

 

 

For further information, contact:
POA Press Office 020 8803 0255 Option 7