CIRC 063: NATIONAL CHAIR UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2025

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members.

 

New president for TUC

It gives me great pleasure to announce to the membership that Steve Gillan, our General Secretary, has taken over the presidency of the TUC from Nautilus Ships’ Officers’ Union Head Mark Dickinson. He will preside over the TUC Congress in September 2026 and Chair the TUC’s General Council and Executive Committee for the next 12 months. Steve becomes the first General Secretary of the POA in its entire history to lead the TUC. I am sure you will join me in wishing Steve a successful and productive year. This is a massive accolade for our Union and well deserved for Steve.

 

Changes to the senior leadership team

HMPPS have announced that James McEwen has been appointed Chief Executive and Director General of HMPPS. He will take up the position from 13^th October. James was most recently the MoJ’s Director General Chief Operating Officer and previously a Finance Director. He has also worked in the Legal Aid Agency following earlier roles in the Department for Energy and Climate Change and Department for Work and Pensions.

Phil Copple plans on taking early retirement in March 2026 and will hand over to James prior to the new CEO taking up post. 

 

Crime in Prisons Update

It is pleasing that some additional resource has been found for Crime in prisons. There is now funding for a Crime in Prisons Co-Ordinator in each Long-Term High Security Prison. It is Conference Policy that there is one in every establishment, so we urge branch committees to try and progress this if you do not have one. The Crime in Prisons Regional Leads are also now working within the AED structures and I would encourage you to make sure you are aware of who they are so you can raise issues with them directly if you do not have a Co-Ordinator locally. There are processes in place to challenge Police and CPS decisions and outcomes if you are unhappy and it is vital that Branch Officials are engaging locally with Crime in Prisons Clinics when they are arranged.

 

Major safety boost for frontline prison staff

In a major intervention, the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has announced a massive ramp up of protective body armour – also known as stab proof vests – for frontline Prison Officers.   

1. Up to 10,000 more officers to get protective body armour, and hundreds given tasers. 
2. Around £15 million investment unveiled to better protect staff and help end the crisis in our prisons. 
3. Deputy Prime Minister pledges to restore tough law and order and make our streets safe, as part of the Plan for Change. 

This will dramatically increase the number of vests available from 750 to up to 10,000 staff to better protect them from violence – with 5,000 specifically to equip every Officer working in Long Term and High-Security Prisons.  The investment of around £15 million will also see up to 500 Prison Officers trained up to use Tasers, significantly scaling up the initial trial announced this summer for 20 specialist staff.

The POA welcome this announcement and have been campaigning for this level of protection for our members to be facilitated. We view this as the beginning of a wider roll out to those staff who work in lower security Prisons and we will not rest until every member of staff who needs and asks for this level of protection is issued with it.

 

The Rt Hon David Lammy MP

David Lammy was appointed Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister on 5^th September 2025, replacing Shabana Mahmood MP who became the new Home Secretary. He was previously Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs between 5^th July 2024 and 5^th September 2025. David was appointed the Shadow Foreign Secretary in November 2021. He was previously the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and the Shadow Lord Chancellor.

 

Pay Submissions 

I can confirm that the POA written Pay Submissions have been forwarded on time to the Pay Review Body. Once the Review Body receives written submissions from all recognised Trade Unions and HMPPS, they will publish them online. Members should note that the Review Body do not entertain any submissions from non-recognised groups. We await a date for oral submissions.

 

‘Welfare Checks’

It is increasingly concerning to the NEC that we are yet again being informed that POA members are being forced to conduct so called ‘welfare checks’ on prisoners who appear to be ‘under the influence.’ All POA members should note that welfare checks do not exist because there is no national policy that covers a welfare check. It is imperative for your own protection, that you do not facilitate any localised or formal welfare check on a prisoner. HMPPS have yet to engage with the NEC to devise a national policy. If welfare checks are so important HMPPS would have initiated negotiations about agreeing a national policy, but they have failed to do so.

If a POA member was cross examined in a coroners or criminal court due to a death in custody and was asked about formally logging a ‘welfare check’ without being able to reference a national policy that guides them, they are leaving themselves extremely vulnerable.

Under no circumstances should any POA member formally log a welfare check if a prisoner is under the influence. Local POA Committees should not agree to any formal localised welfare check policy or log. Previous advice on this matter still stands:

• If a prisoner is suspected of being under the Influence of an unknown substance POA members should immediately contact healthcare for their assistance in clinically assessing the prisoner. 

• Under no circumstances should any POA member complete any unofficial form that relates to unofficial welfare checks.

• For the avoidance of doubt no POA member is required to enter into the observation book or on Nomis every interaction with a prisoner who is deemed to be under the influence. Neither are they required to complete any type of welfare log.  

• One entry stating what the clinical professional has advised will suffice, unless you deem it serious enough to enter future submissions, at which point official processes such as opening an ACCT or summoning medical assistance are available options. 

• Any order to complete a welfare log is an unlawful order and to protect your position if you are ordered to do so you should immediately contact healthcare so they may clinically assess the prisoner and offer further advice.

 

All the best.

 

Mark Fairhurst
National Chair