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Following the recent violent attack by Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi on prison officers at HMP Frankland, the Prison Service is undertaking a sudden evaluation of whether protective body armour should be provided to front-line staff, as announced by the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood. Mahmood also revealed plans for an independent Ministry of Justice review into the attack and a meticulous examination of past recommendations regarding extremism in UK prisons.
In response to the incident, the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) union has urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to enhance security measures for its members. General secretary Steve Gillan stated that he would be contacting the prime minister, requesting the provision of stab-proof vests for staff. Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, a prison officer at HMP Frankland stressed the need for stab vests to be readily available to prevent potential fatalities among prison staff across all UK prisons.
To address concerns raised by prison staff regarding safety, the Prison Service’s review into protective body armour is expected to report its findings in the coming months, with consultations involving unions taking place. Subsequent to the attack, all prisoners in the unit where Abedi was confined at HMP Frankland have been relocated, including Abedi himself, who has been transferred to the high-security Belmarsh prison in London. Additionally, access to kitchens in separation centres throughout the UK has been suspended by the government following the violent episode.
Acknowledging the threat posed by extremist ideologies in prisons, Mahmood affirmed her commitment to eradicating such influences within the penal system. She pledged to evaluate the implementation of numerous recommendations aimed at addressing extremism in prisons over the past decade and emphasized the importance of fortifying defenses to ensure the safety of both prison staff and the public. Abedi, who orchestrated the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 with his brother, Salman Abedi, has received a life sentence with a minimum term of 55 years for killing 22 individuals. His transfer to HMP Frankland’s separation unit occurred after an earlier assault on prison officers at Belmarsh prison in 2020, leading to an additional prison term. During the recent attack at HMP Frankland, four prison officers sustained injuries, with one remaining hospitalized due to serious injuries suffered
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