Prison officers have raised the issue of being provided with batons with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee in what would be a significant move for the prison system in the Republic.
Unlike other jurisdictions, prison officers in Ireland do not carry batons or any other weapons, save for specialist duties.
The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) raised the matter with Ms McEntee when they spoke with her after she attended the association annual delegate conference in Sligo on Friday. It was unclear how it would be viewed within the Department of Justice as it would be a significant change to the prison environment.
However, the POA has used its annual conference to express concern about the number of assaults on the 3,300 prison officers working in the prison system. They have also said the flow of contraband, including drugs and mobile phones, into prisons has increased, which often leads to intimidation and violence.
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Add to prison gangs vying for control of the drugs market in jails, and the threats and violence that results, Irish jails are also increasingly crowded. The Irish Prison Service has confirmed the network of 12 prisons is operating at 109 per cent capacity, with 4,900 in the system and the prison population soon to reach 5,000 for the first time.
[ Surge in level of drugs and phones smuggled into Irish jails, say prison officersOpens in new window ]
The POA said violent incidents in jails had increased to 891 last year, up from 606 in 2002 and 376 in 2020. However, the 2020-2022 period was unusual as prisoners were locked into their cells for longer periods because of the pandemic.
Gabriel Keaveny, POA deputy general secretary said the violent incidents included “assaults on staff, restraint interventions and prisoner on prisoner assaults”.
“In 2023 we have had over 100 direct physical assaults on prison officers, while carrying out their duties in our prisons,” he said, branding the violence against his members in their workplace as “unacceptable”.
“Earlier this year one of our members had his face slashed after he intervened with a prisoner who was trying to escape. The prisoner is reported to have said, “I’ll stab the face off you, I’ll stab you to death”, as he carried out the assault,” he added.
“Last year a female prison officer was left with life changing injuries, sustained in an attack by a prisoner. Each of these brutal assaults has its own separate story, the common thread is that these assaults are on our members, as they carry out their duties on behalf of the state.”
While the POA did not comment on the talks it had with Ms McEntee at its conference, Mr Keaveny confirmed his association had in the last week raised the issue of batons with the Irish Prison Service.
“We have stressed again our view that prison officers should be allowed to carry concealed batons within the prison, as a way of protecting themselves and others,” he said. “And this is clearly not just about the safety and welfare of staff. We often have very vulnerable prisoners seriously assaulted for no other reason than their vulnerability. This is an issue which requires urgent and focused attention from prison management, or all involved could be facing the most serious consequences”
At present while batons are part of the kit issued to prison officers by the prison service, they are not for routine duties. Instead, they can be carried when officers escorting prisoners for hospital visits or when working at the National Violence Reduction Unit, in The Midlands Prison, where a small number of especially violent prisoners are held.
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