WHAT’S NEW?
BBC PANORAMA UNCOVERS SECURITY ISSUES IN HMP
NORTHUMBERLAND An undercover BBC reporter spent two months at HMP Northumberland, which houses up to 1,348 male inmates, for Panorama.
According to BBC news, the reporter discovered “widespread drug use, a lack of control, door alarms that did not go off ... and a hole in an internal security fence.”
The Ministry of Justice has said it will investigate the "extremely serious allegations" at the Acklington jail.
BBC Panorama spent two months inside one of the country's biggest prisons. During the secret filming, the reporter also recorded scenes including:
• Prisoners incapacitated by drugs
• Officers sometimes left on their own to manage large groups of inmates
• Inmates threatening staff
The Panorama investigation came just days after the Ministry of Justice announced the replacement of the National Offender Management Service with a new prison and probation service aimed at cutting crime and reforming offenders.
Privatised in 2014, HMP Northumberland is run by Sodexo Justice Services. To win the contract, Sodexo pledged to save the taxpayer £130m over 15 years. Two hundred jobs, including 96 prison officer posts, were cut.
HMP Northumberland is a training prison that is said to offer a range of education and training programmes to prepare inmates for release. The Panorama reporter witnessed some inmates colouring in pictures of the children's cartoon character Peppa Pig in an "employability skills" class provided by outside contractor, Novus.
It told Panorama it had investigated these concerns and sent a report to the government.
www.tomorrowsfm.com
PICKFORDS WINS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR
AWARD Pickfords, the removals and storage company, has been awarded ‘Waste Management Company of the Year’ by BUILD Magazine, for its environmentally- friendly office furniture and IT reuse and recycling service.
The prestigious Facilities Management Awards, run by construction magazine BUILD, recognise the ‘hidden heroes’ within the corporate world, who keep businesses running smoothly and effectively, in recognition of their excellence and dedication to their profession.
Pickfords’ recycling service helps businesses meet their environmental goals, processing their old office furniture, IT and other materials to be recycled, reused or re-sold, ensuring that 0% of their waste is sent to landfill. The service is delivered at the time of the clients’ office relocation or workplace change project to help minimise costs.
Many clients choose to donate furniture for reuse to local charities. Pickfords and its clients have supported the British Heart Foundation, Tenovus Cancer Care, Help for Heroes and many others.
The president of the Prison Governors Association, Andrea Albutt, told the BBC, "The situation is that there are so few prison officers at the moment; their confidence has been affected and we have a more violent prison population."
The Ministry of Justice told the BBC: "The justice secretary has been clear that levels of violence and self harm in our prisons are too high, which is why we are investing an extra £100m annually to boost the front line by 2,500 officers.
"These are longstanding issues, which will not be resolved in weeks or months but we are determined to
Martin Budd, Head of Business Solutions at Pickfords, said: “We are delighted to have achieved this award. Our environmental solution is the result of five years’ hard work built around the needs of our clients. It is an honour to be recognised for a service that supports our clients by helping them minimise their impact on the environment.”
Rachel Devonport, Awards Co- ordinator at BUILD Magazine, expressed her pride: “It has been a true privilege to showcase the sheer talent and hard work of every single one of my award winners. I would like to wish them every success going forward.”
www.pickfords.com
make our prisons places of safety and reform."
A spokesman for Sodexo told the BBC: "We are proud of those staff at HMP Northumberland, who do a professional job in such difficult circumstances. Security and the safety of our prisoners and staff are our top priority, which is why we have made significant investments in these two areas over and above the contract requirements."
As part of the investigation, Panorama analysed what prisoners had been saying about safety in prisons across England and Wales.
www.bbc.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 15
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