HMP Birmingham: Anti-Riot Officers And Inmates In Prison Stand-Off

Prison Service confirms 'an ongoing incident'.
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Prison staff were involved in a stand-off with inmates lasting almost seven hours following a disturbance at HMP Birmingham last night.

An unknown number of prisoners refused to return to their cells at the end of the evening at the category B and C jail.

G4S, which runs the jail, said the incident was brought to a safe conclusion at around 11.45pm.

A spokesman for the prison said staff had successfully resolved disorder on one wing at the prison after the incident began around 5pm.

HMP Birmingham.
HMP Birmingham.
PA Wire/PA Images

No staff or prisoners were injured during the incident and the rest of the establishment was unaffected.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Specially trained prison staff successfully resolved an incident at HMP Birmingham on 3 September. There were no injuries to staff or prisoners.”

On Twitter, a West Midlands based criminology lecturer claimed the prison’s Wing A was “severely damaged” as inmates were heard chanting “we want burn” - prison slang for tobacco.

A ban on tobacco cigarettes is being slowly introduced into prisons, with several jails already having banned them outright.

In December 2016, HMP Birmingham witnessed 12 hours of disorder with riot teams to be deployed. It was described as the worst prison riot since Strangeways in 1990.

The city centre jail, formerly known as Winson Green, can hold up to 1,450 inmates.

G4S has run the prison since 2011 when it became the first public-sector jail to be privatised.

A Prison Service spokesman said the incident involved “a small number of prisoners”.

He added: “Prison staff are working to resolve it quickly and safely. There is no risk to the public.”

A spokesperson for G4S said: “Our teams are responding to an incident on one wing at HM Prison Birmingham.

“We are working with colleagues from Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”

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