HMP Wandsworth staff faced ‘10 assaults a week’ before prisoner escaped

Independent report says shortage of staff and resources made effective security ‘very difficult’

HMP Wandsworth was facing 10 assaults on staff every week amid “inhumane” conditions in the year leading up to the alleged escape of a suspected terrorist, a damning report has uncovered.

The prison’s independent monitoring board said the shortage of staff and resources made it “very difficult” to operate a “fully effective security regime” in the year to 1 June.

The prison was not safe, with more than 10 assaults on staff every week. The number of available officers was rarely more than half while attacks on them increased by 25% to 1,048 in a year, the board said.

Staff turnover was high and the experience of many staff limited. The management team had no input over selection and the process to remove unsuitable staff was long and complex.

Prisoners had easy access to contraband, with the confiscation of 1,900 litres of illicitly brewed alcohol – about five litres every day – over the year.

More than 300 mobile telephones were found, with drones used to send goods over the prison walls.

The prison repeatedly had no heating or hot water during the winter months. In two wings, there were only 11 shower stalls for 265 men, who all wanted showers in the very limited time available, the board said.

Regular flooding of cells disrupted whole wings while men often endured several weeks without a full kit change.

A new multimillion pound healthcare centre remained unused, more than a year after its scheduled opening date.

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