UK prison officers to demand electric stun guns for dangerous jails
Guardian6 days
UK Prison Officers Demand Stun Guns After Inmate Attack
Above: A police officer displays the Taser 7 at Sulhamstead Police Training Centre on April 12, 2023. Image copyright: Photo by Andrew Matthews/Contributor/PA Images via Getty Images
The Spin
Labour Party narrative
The attack on three prison officers by Hashem Abedi was an appalling atrocity. This government will do everything in its power to ensure that a tragedy like this will never occur again. Labour will be instigating an immediate inquiry into protective body armor for prison officers and auditing the implementation of all 19 reviews into extremism in UK prisons and their solutions.
Conservative narrative
For far too long prison wings across the UK have been plagued by problems including Islamic extremism. The incentive structure needs to change to stop prison governors from appeasing these radical offenders and turn their attention instead to the welfare of their staff. If the government is concerned with the safety of prison staff, it must immediately implement the POA's demand for stab-proof vests by the end of April.
Narrative C
The current security measures in high-security prisons are dangerously inadequate, putting officers' lives at risk when dealing with violent extremists. During its meeting on Wednesday, the government and prison system must acquiesce to the POA's demands for tasers and stab-proof vests, and agree to stricter protocols for the very worst inmates, modeled on the "supermax" system used in the United States.