Riot squad sent after inmates seize parts of English prison

 

LONDON (AP) — Dozens of riot officers were sent into a prison in the English city of Birmingham Friday after inmates took control of several wings of the medium-security facility.

 

The prison, HMP Birmingham, is run by the private security company G4S.

 

There were no reported injuries among prison staff during the disturbance, which began at about 0900 GMT (0400 a.m. EST) and continued all day.

 

Jerry Petherick, G4S managing director for custodial and detention services, said the disturbance involved four wings and "some administrative offices" at the prison, 120 miles (195 kilometers) north of London.

 

The Ministry of Justice said "the situation is contained, the perimeter is secure and there is no risk to public."

 

The facility can hold up to 1,450 inmates. Most were locked in their cells while several hundred were involved in the riot.

 

There was a heavy police presence outside the prison, and the sounds of cheering, smashing and banging could be heard from inside the perimeter wall, where at least one fire burned.

 

Prisoners told the BBC that poor conditions, including frequent all-day lockdowns, sparked the frustration that led to the trouble.

 

The unrest comes at a time when Britain's prisons are under intense pressure from growing inmate numbers and staffing cuts. The prison staff union said violence and inmate suicides are rising.

 

Some 200 prisoners rioted last month at Bedford Prison in southern England, and guards staged a nationwide walkout before courts ordered them to return to work.

 

Prison Officers Association National Chair Mike Rolfe said the Birmingham incident was "another stark warning to the Ministry of Justice that the service is in crisis."

 

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-12-17

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The facility can hold up to 1,450 inmates. Most were locked in their cells while several hundred were involved in the riot.

 

How many are truly incarcerated? Usually riots are caused by jamming to many into a small place. Being a privately run facility the word profit comes to mind. 

They're bored. It is a regular occurrence in stir.

Serious incidents involving rioting and hostage taking in UK prisons are increasing at a dramatic rate, these teams were called out over 400 times last year.

3 hours ago, optad said:

They're bored. It is a regular occurrence in stir.

Do you talk from experience??

Prisoners really are losers.   I mean really, who would want to take over a prison?   

I see G4S run this prison. Was offered a senior position with them with the run up to London Olympics 2012 but earnt far more working privately.  They had bad rep for loosing prisoners in transit over the years. Wonder if they will loose this contract now

4 hours ago, Credo said:

Prisoners really are losers.   I mean really, who would want to take over a prison?   

Ummm........those who want to make a monetary profit from it?

They could try sending the prisoners on a boat ride

Australia might be  happy to take some in exchange for a load of Muslims we don't want or like 

44 minutes ago, licka said:

They could try sending the prisoners on a boat ride

Australia might be  happy to take some in exchange for a load of Muslims we don't want or like 

No don't give politicians ideas 

8 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

Do you talk from experience??

I thought that comment would beggar the question.

 

The answer is no, but there was a film in the early 1980's entitled 'Stir' and was termed because of activities bored inmates would get up. Prison is colloquially known as 'stir' as a result.

I never heard it called Birmingham prison.  better known as the green or Winson green nick.  Winson green the area is where the show benefits street was filmed for a season and made some benefit claimants z list celebrities for a few minutes. all in the name of entertainment.

5 hours ago, DaveE13 said:

I see G4S run this prison. Was offered a senior position with them with the run up to London Olympics 2012 but earnt far more working privately.  They had bad rep for loosing prisoners in transit over the years. Wonder if they will loose this contract now

 

Doubtful - it seems that G4S is bulletproof. No matter how often they screw up in the most catastrophic of ways, no matter how much they defraud the taxpayer, it seems that nothing ever happens to them. Successive UK governments' love of repugnant businesses and their rabid desire to introduce the 'free market' into public services means that they are more than willing to overlook incompetence and corruption in the pursuit of their ideals.

As the former sheriff in Arizona once said; "If you don't like it here, don't come back".

I thought it was a PRISON...not a resort...lock the <deleted> up..

Yet it's 85% occupied by Non White Immigrants with Brit Passport ,and Ferangs call Thais Dumb ,at least not with outsiders playing up they ain't


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3 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

I never heard it called Birmingham prison.  better known as the green or Winson green nick.  Winson green the area is where the show benefits street was filmed for a season and made some benefit claimants z list celebrities for a few minutes. all in the name of entertainment.

Changed its name because private prison now 

1 hour ago, Gary A said:

As the former sheriff in Arizona once said; "If you don't like it here, don't come back".

Yes I love Joe. A tough love police officer. He just kept getting re-elected even though the government to some extent disagreed with his methods and even hauled him into court. The right guy in the right place at the right time. Need more of the same. 

15 hours ago, licka said:

They could try sending the prisoners on a boat ride

Australia might be  happy to take some in exchange for a load of Muslims we don't want or like 

Being as it happened in Birmingham they were probably mostly moslems anyhow!

23 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

Being as it happened in Birmingham they were probably mostly moslems anyhow!

Ok you keep them 

10 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

Yet it's 85% occupied by Non White Immigrants with Brit Passport .................

 Source, please.

 

The latest figures I can find come from this report

Quote

88% of men at HMP Birmingham are UK nationals. 

On 31st December 2014, 61% of the prison population was of White ethnicity

 

Have things really changed that much over two years, or did you make your figure up?

 

This photo is from The Sun, and purports to be a selfie taken by two of the rioters.

 

21 hours ago, DaveE13 said:

I see G4S run this prison. Was offered a senior position with them with the run up to London Olympics 2012 but earnt far more working privately.  They had bad rep for loosing prisoners in transit over the years. Wonder if they will loose this contract now

 

There have been instances of poor performance in many sectors of G4S's business activities in the UK including over charging for services never provided that IMHO they should have been banned for tendering for any government contracts years ago. 

 

As for HMP Birmingham (formally HMP Winson Green),  this is a class "B" prison, I know a couple of guys who worked there and left when G4S took over, and am of the understanding that that staffing is a big issue, also on a number of visits to the my local hospital A&E one finds oneself falling over G4S personel in A&E, I think one evening I counted a dozen or more G4S personnel hanging around A&E with their charges, for some reason G4S take prisoners for treatment there even though they have a perfectly adequate hospital just over the wall, in actual fact when my mum was a nurse there back in the 50's the had prisoners jumping over the wall all the time, yet they take them with 2 escort warders some 5 miles to another hospital.

 

Another big factor is it is coming up Christmas I assume quit a few lags (old and young) will have been told they will not be getting home leave so the place must have been like a tinder box.

 

As for overcrowding as far as I know they have not increased the number of inmates since G4S took over but they have a problem in recruiting replacement staff.

1 minute ago, Basil B said:

 

There have been instances of poor performance in many sectors of G4S's business activities in the UK including over charging for services never provided that IMHO they should have been banned for tendering for any government contracts years ago. 

 

As for HMP Birmingham (formally HMP Winson Green),  this is a class "B" prison, I know a couple of guys who worked there and left when G4S took over, and am of the understanding that that staffing is a big issue, also on a number of visits to the my local hospital A&E one finds oneself falling over G4S personel in A&E, I think one evening I counted a dozen or more G4S personnel hanging around A&E with their charges, for some reason G4S take prisoners for treatment there even though they have a perfectly adequate hospital just over the wall, in actual fact when my mum was a nurse there back in the 50's the had prisoners jumping over the wall all the time, yet they take them with 2 escort warders some 5 miles to another hospital.

 

Another big factor is it is coming up Christmas I assume quit a few lags (old and young) will have been told they will not be getting home leave so the place must have been like a tinder box.

 

As for overcrowding as far as I know they have not increased the number of inmates since G4S took over but they have a problem in recruiting replacement staff.

I hear tonight on the news inmates at Hull Prison are kicking off because over 30 prisoners transferred from Birmingham.

Yes wouldn't touch G4S they had the contract for escorting deported persons back to their countries that was until a deportee was killed in custody by G4S.

Having also visited a person doing time before G4S took over at the Green, as a visitor I found the staff to be most pleasant if you were pleasant to them yet some of the detritus that was visiting did give the warders a hard time and I look forward to the day (it will happen) when they stop prison visits, and do it by video links, they can have vandal proof video screens on each wing instead of having to escort prisoners on & off the wings to the prisons visiting hall, and have smal visitor video centres away from the prisons, they can then move prisoners to any part of the country.

5 hours ago, 7by7 said:

 

Wonder if they are still laughing???

7 hours ago, Basil B said:

Another big factor is it is coming up Christmas I assume quit a few lags (old and young) will have been told they will not be getting home leave so the place must have been like a tinder box.

 

I am not very au fait with prison terminology - is a lag a prisoner? Do prisoners actually get to go home for Christmas?

5 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

 

I am not very au fait with prison terminology - is a lag a prisoner? Do prisoners actually get to go home for Christmas?

 

Yes, quite a few will get home leave... particularly in the lower grade C & D prisons.