Prison staff to demand electric stun guns in jails

Prison officers are to demand that staff be given electric stun guns to protect themselves while guarding the UK’s most dangerous jails when they meet the justice secretary on Wednesday.
The meeting with Shabana Mahmood comes after Hashem Abedi, one of the men responsible for the Manchester Arena bombing, threw hot oil at officers and stabbed them with makeshift weapons at HMP Frankland in County Durham.
Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), told the BBC that they are “calling for the tactical use of taser”.
In a statement, Mahmood said “we must do to better protect our prison officers in the future”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Fairhurst said: “My concerns are that when we face life threatening situations, we no longer have tactical options.

Source: BBC | Language: English