|
|
Press releasesREF: PR/06/07 DATE: 19th January 2007 To: ALL POLITICAL PRESS RELEASE New Prison Announced In MerseysideThe POA have mixed feelings following the announcement to open a 350 bedded Category C prison on the East site of Ashworth Special Hospital in Merseyside near Liverpool. The announcement by the Government and Home Office to open new public sector prison places and not offer these to the private sector is a significant and welcome move by the Government. The site at Ashworth has been loaned to the Home Office by Mersey Care for five years with a further option to extend if necessary. Colin Moses National Chairman of the POA said: “We welcome the announcement in respect of theses additional public sector prison places. However, we need significant long term investment in public sector prisons to create prison spaces to cope with the ever increasing prison population. The POA will formulate a local branch of this union to ensure the transitional arrangements and operation of the prison is as efficient as possible.” Brian Caton General Secretary of the POA said: “The POA call upon the Prison Service and Government to recruit the correct number of staff to operate this new prison and secure public protection. We are concerned that the level of staffing at the prison may well significantly effect the operation of an already overstretched Prison Service in an attempt to ease the pressure on the Prison Service. We can not overlook the fact that the Prison Service is currently operating with almost 1,000 Prison Officers short of the agreed staffing levels across the Service. This is unacceptable and must be addressed to ensure public protection is maintained.”
|
  |
 |
|
