Ford open prison rioters must be punished - minister

Prisons Minister Crispin Blunt said those involved in the riot at HMP Ford "must be brought to justice". A number of buildings were burned to the ground during the incident, which is thought to have involved alcohol. The Prison Officers' Association said the incident started around midnight on New Year's Eve after staff tried to breathalyse some prisoners. About 40 inmates out of the 496 on the site were involved in the riot, and the fires destroyed six accommodation blocks, a mail room, a gym, a snooker room, and a pool room. Mark Freeman from the Prison Officers' Association said those responsible for the trouble had worn balaclavas to conceal their identities. Mr Blunt said a police inquiry could lead to criminal prosecutions, and added: "We must learn the lessons to make sure it does not recur." The minister told the Press Association (PA) news agency: "One of the issues will be about whether there are particular circumstances at Ford - to examine whether the staffing policies are appropriate at Ford compared to other open prisons." He revealed the team had minimum staffing on the night after one support officer, who called in sick at short notice, was not replaced. Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service, which is responsible for managing the prison service, said staffing levels at the time were "appropriate and usual". But a former inmate, Dave, told BBC Radio 5 live that staffing was a problem at the prison.  Eoin McLennan-Murray from the Prison Governors' Association said the Prison Service had dealt with the unexpected situation effectively, and had successfully reached its aims of protecting the public and making sure prisoners did not abscond.

Reaction:

I think this incident happened because there was not enough staff during New Year’s Eve. I suppose nobody wanted to work that night and would rather spend their time with their families. So there was not enough control at the prison. I completely agree with Mr Blunt about that something must be done about this to make sure it will not happen again. I am surprised that nobody was injured during the fire and that anyone escaped from the prison. This means that the Prison Service dealt with this incident very well but I hope that those responsible will be punished because many prisoners could have escaped or died during the fire. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12103976