BIRMINGHAM – A riot involving hundreds of inmates has broken out at a prison after keys were reportedly taken from a member of staff.<\/p>\n
Trouble flared at privately-run HMP Birmingham after a prison officer was “rushed” by inmates.<\/p>\n
Specialist Tornado riot teams have been dispatched to the category B jail, which houses 1,450 prisoners.<\/p>\n
G4S said the Prison Service had taken over the response due to the scale of the incident.<\/p>\n
Unverified photos purporting to show scenes from the disturbance have been circulated on social media.<\/p>\n
In one picture, two men can be seen wearing riot helmets and gesturing towards the camera.<\/p>\n
Officers initially withdrew from two wings – which included some administrative offices – on Friday morning. G4S confirmed the incident later spread to two further wings.<\/p>\n Jerry Petherick, managing director for G4S custodial and detention services, said West Midlands Police helicopter was also in attendance.<\/p>\n West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the site in Winson Green Road at about 12:25 GMT and at least four ambulances are at the scene.<\/p>\n It is understood the disturbance centres on wings N and P, which hold 250 prisoners, and both have been sealed off. All staff are accounted for.<\/p>\n Alex Cavendish, a former prisoner who is now a prison and crime affairs academic, said trouble flared when lights were broken and inmates took control of fire hoses.<\/p>\n Officers then started locking prisoners in their cells, but one officer was threatened with a used syringe and another prisoner “came up behind him and snatched the keys from his belt”.<\/p>\n Staff then “withdraw to a place of safety”, abandoning the wing, as they are directed to do in such situations.<\/p>\n He described the incident as “probably most serious riot in a B category prison since Strangeways went up” in 1990.<\/p>\n He said he was getting reports of one badly injured prisoner, inmates getting into the offender management unit (OMU) and destroying records and the prison gym being invaded.<\/p>\n West Midlands Police quashed rumours that offenders had keys giving access to residential areas and that offenders had occupied some blocks and exercise facilities.<\/p>\n “No keys to perimeter access points were taken,” a spokesman said.<\/p>\n About 15 people carrying kit bags and wearing G4S boiler suits were seen going into the the prison on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n All prisoners who are not on the affected wings are believed to be back in their cells, with prison staff awaiting reinforcements before taking control of the other wings.<\/p>\n A G4S spokeswoman said: “We are responding to an ongoing incident at HMP Birmingham this morning which began just after 09:00 GMT involving two wings of the prison.<\/p>\n “We are in close contact with the National Offender Management Service, and are working with colleagues across the service to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”<\/p>\n A spokesman for the Prison Officers Association (POA) said no staff injuries had been reported.<\/p>\n He said the incident “is another stark warning to the Ministry of Justice [MoJ] that the service is in crisis”.<\/p>\n Source bbc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n