Overview

• The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) will meet Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood this week to advocate for Tasers in high-security prisons to protect staff from life-threatening attacks.
• This demand follows a violent assault by convicted terrorist Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland, where officers were attacked with boiling oil and improvised knives.
• The POA is also calling for a Supermax-style regime, with extreme isolation and restricted privileges, for Britain’s most dangerous inmates.
• The Ministry of Justice has launched a review into prison security and officer safety, already banning inmate kitchen access in separation units after recent incidents.
• Justice Secretary Mahmood has pledged to address systemic issues in separation centres while balancing safety measures with ethical considerations.