Prison officers press for stab vests

Prison officers press for stab vests

Prison officers are keeping up their campaign for stab vests after a series of violent attacks. Colin Moses, chair of the Prison Officer Association (POA), the union for prison staff, said: 'Violent action can erupt at any time, and the severity of the violence and subsequent injuries to our officers is increasing.' He added: 'We fully appreciate that prisoners should be treated fairly and we are more than happy to ensure that all of our actions comply with human rights, but we are also determined to ensure the personal safety of our members. Would anyone expect their partner, child or friend to come home from work with a horrific injury?' The union says stab vests and similar types of body protection should be made available to prison officers. It has been working with body armour suppliers to press for suitable protective gear. Robert Kaiser, CEO of UK based knife protection consultancy PPSS, said it was 'astonishing' that 81 per cent of prisons have Playstations worth £249 listed as one of the facilities available for prisoners, however prison officers dealing with these potentially hostile individuals on a daily basis have got no access to stab vests or body protection, also worth £249.'

PPSS news release.