6 Hostage taking incidents in last 4 months in our prisons – what is going on?
25 November 2011
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister MLA:-
“The upsurge in hostage situations in our prisons - which, I believe, have largely gone unpublicised - speaks of a disturbing level of lawlessness, particularly within Maghaberry, where there have been 5 hostage takings in 4 months. The figures have come to light in answer to an Assembly Question I posed to David Ford.
“How, in an adequately run prison, can such happen? Is there a loss of control, contributed to by the demoralising of staff by the plans to jettison many of them under the guise of prison reform.
“It doesn't say much for local control that under Minister Ford this problem has escalated unacceptably.
“I believe the Minister should be coming to the Assembly and explaining just what is going on and what plans he has to stamp out this new dimension to unlawful activity in our prisons.”
Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice how many hostage situations have taken place in each prison and the date each incident occurred, in each of the last five years.
Answer:
There have been eight incidents of hostage taking in prisons in the last
five years. Seven incidents occurred in Maghaberry Prison and one in
Magilligan. All of the incidents involved a prisoner taking another
prisoner hostage.
The dates of these incidents are set out below:
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 to date
Maghaberry 0 0 1- 25/10/2009 1- 15/11/2009 1- 5/7/2011
1- 1/9/2011
1- 30/10/2011
1- 8/11/2011
1- 20/11/11
Magilligan 0 0 0 0 1- 10/10/2011
There have been no incidents of hostage taking in Hydebank Wood.
