The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced that prison officers will be told to wear body armor in some sections of high security jails, after the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi attacked three officers with boiling cooking oil.
New protective vests will be made mandatory for prison officers working in Close Supervision Centres and Separation Centres which hold the most dangerous offenders in the estate.
Officers working with prisoners held in segregation units within the high-security estate will also benefit from the rollout.
Three officers were treated in hospital after the attack at HMP Frankland in County Durham, the life-threatening injuries included burns and stab wounds.
Abedi, 28 was jailed for life for helping his brother carry out the 2017 suicide bombing, threw hot cooking oil over the officers and used “home made weapons” to stab them
Some staff raised concerns on armour being rolled out more widely in prisons, in particular that it could be too heavy and restrictive for everyday use. It was also noted that officers already have equipment available to them to help reduce the risk of assaults including Body Worn Video Cameras, batons, PAVA spray and handcuffs.
The review concluded that more evidence is needed before rolling out vests to all prison officers. The Lord Chancellor will now take this forward and will not hesitate to go further if needed to keep staff safe says the Government
