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Written question asked by Grahame Morris (Labour) on Thursday, 15 July 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 July 2021 (named day). It was answered by Alex Chalk (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 July 2021 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisons: Razors

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the attack on a prison officer at HMP Swansea on 12 June 2021, what assessment he has made of the effect on prison safety of allowing prisoners access to razor blades.

Answer

Violence against our hard-working prison officers is unacceptable and will never be tolerated.

A taskforce with a remit to undertake a review of the management of razors and ceramics across HMPPS has now restarted following a pause due to the impact of COVID-19.

Prior to the pandemic we saw a continued decrease in assaults in prisons, and in the 12 months to December 2020, assaults were down 34%.

We work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to bring the perpetrators to justice. We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and providing prison officers with the right support, training and tools such as PAVA pepper spray and body-worn cameras to empower them to do their jobs safely.

We are also spending £100 million to bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence and crime behind bars.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
33892
Session
2021-22
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Prisoners Prisons Razors
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk