More than two-thirds of the prisoners at HMP Ashwell in Rutland were involved in the violence, which spread quickly when a riot in one wing led to a "total loss of control" by prison officers. Police surrounded the open prison, which is a mile and a half from the town of Oakham, while riot squads with dogs tried to end a series of sieges in each block. The Prison Officers Association (POA) said the inmates had barricaded themselves into buildings and were defending themselves with makeshift weapons. The union warned the riot would be "the first of many" because of a shortage of suitable cells in the penal system. The riot began at midnight on Friday night after several prisoners lost their special privileges, such as better pay for work or access to sports facilities. One inmate began a violent protest that spread quickly to other wings of the Category C jail, which houses prisoners deemed low-risk. Amid the chaos, prisoners ran from one wing to another, spreading the protest and looting kitchens and storage rooms for ladders, tools, and petrol that could be used to make weapons. They also stole food and drugs and started a string of fires. Nearby residents, woken by police helicopters with infrared search cameras, described the scene as "like a war". It was not until Saturday afternoon – more than twelve hours after the violence began – that the first of at least 150 prisoners were taken away from the facility in vans. Neighbour and former prison worker Lewis Carlin, 78, who lives nearby, said: "I have been sat on my bed watching riot squads and police. The riot police have been going in and out but they have been here for so long that they are changing their shift. "It looks like it started in the B or C wing and spread. Every now and again we have seen some smoke as a new fire is started. This is the worst I have seen it here, and these are supposed to be low-risk prisoners." Another local resident, Beverly Cardell, said she was woken up about 1am by her son. "We could hear lots of noise, shouting, banging and general noise from the prison. It was like a war." The Ministry of Justice refused to give any details of the siege but issued a statement describing the situation as "an incident of concerted indiscipline". A spokeswoman also denied the prison was overcrowded and refuted claims by the POA that more dangerous Category B prisoners were being held at Ashwell because of a shortage of cells elsewhere. "HMP Ashwell has had no reduction in officer numbers over the last year," the spokeswoman said. As dusk fell yesterday, prisoners were seen wandering in spaces between the wings while riot police came and went from the front entrance. The father of one inmate said his son had called him to say there was a riot in the prison. He said: "He called me up to say it had all kicked off in the prison and there was a riot and that the prisoners were setting fire to stuff." He said his son, who was in a wing which was not affected, was woken up at about 2am and his wing had later been isolated. A spokesman for the POA said the violence was the worst at a British prison since an orgy of destruction at Lincoln jail in October 2002 in which one inmate died. He said the Ashwell riot "was very quick to spread", involved 400 of the 600 inmates and "led to the total loss of control at the prison". Colin Moses, national chairman of the association, added: "We have been warning of this type of disturbance for many months, but no one wants to listen. The current prison population and lack of appropriate prison places has resulted in prisoners being transferred away from their homes and put in lower category prisons resulting in more drugs, violence and gang cultures in our prisons. "The drive for savings has led to fewer staff, a reduction in regime and offending behaviour programmes being cancelled. End result - unhappy and bored prisoners." Edward Garnier, Conservative MP for nearby Harborough, said the Government needed to address the issue of overcrowding in prisons. "I was there about 18 months to two years ago when the previous governor, who sadly died, was in charge," he said. "I got the impression that it was a reasonably contented prison. "It's a Category C prison, accommodating people coming to the end of long-term sentences but also it has the usual mix of short-term prisoners as well. "But owing to prison overcrowding it appears that Category B prisoners are being pushed down to the C estate and people on the C estate are being pushed out on to the D estate." Juliet Lyons, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Nobody wins when a prison erupts into violence. Our jails need to be safe, secure and decent places. The pressure is on with high overcrowding, low staffing and cuts in work and activity hours." It thought the prisoner involved in the first outbreak may have been drunk on alcohol made with an illicit still. None of the prisoners escaped during the riot, but it is thought three prison officers sustained minor injuries although the Ministry of Justice would not release details. The violence started in the central part of the prison complex. Alan Duncan, the local MP and shadow leader of the House of Commons, called for an inquiry, saying: “Questions must be asked about what sort of prisoners are now being regarded as Category C and how this happened. There must be an inquiry and a full investigation.” He added: “The prison is not just a dangerous site at the moment but also a scene of crime. I have been impressed by the way in which prison officers, police, firefighters and other services have dealt with what has been a potentially very hazardous situation.” The police action led to the blockade of local roads, to the fury of a nearby garden centre which lost £25,000 of business on what should have been its busiest daytrading of the year. Chris Hamilton, director of the Rutland Garden Centre, said he was “furious” at the situation and called on police to reopen roads. “We have £2,500 worth of fresh meat in the farm shop that is likely to go unsold and we should have had two or three thousand people through the door but there have only been a trickle of customers because they have found it hard to get through.” The prison, which has a total capacity of 619, houses adult men and is described as operating a relatively relaxed regime. Improvements have been carried out at the jail after safety concerns were raised in a report last year by the Chief Inspector of Prisons. Among the measures were the installation of CCTV and steps to tackle drug abuse. In 2003, four prisoners smashed computers and windows in a wrecking spree that caused £10,000 worth of damage. The trouble started when an officer found an inmate had been drinking alcohol in his cell. The officer was attacked by the prisoner, who then barricaded himself into a room with three other inmates. Ashwell prison was opened in the 1950s on the sites of a Second World War US army base, and was converted to a Category C establishment in 1987. In August last year a £6 million wing was opened for new inmates, adding 64 cells to the capacity and providing food serving facilities, offices and classrooms. Ten of the new cells are doubles, with bunk beds, and the rest are single accommodation.Hundreds of inmates riot, looting stores and starting fires, at HMP Ashwell in Rutland
Riot police have been sent into a prison to regain control after 400 inmates went on the rampage, setting fire to buildings in a protest over privileges.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
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