A reserve force of prison officers should be established to provide back-up to officers on escort duty when flashpoints arise, according to the Prison Officers' Association.
The POA said an attack on prison officers in Dublin while transporting prisoners on Wednesday highlights the need for back-up during escorts.
The deputy general secretary of the POA, Mr Eugene Dennehy, said the level of violence against prison officers is "unsustainable". "These attacks are also having a serious impact on families as blood-filled syringes are being used in some instances."
"The threat of sustaining serious injury and the possibility of contacting an infectious disease is fast becoming a daily issue for prison officers."
He said the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, was "totally focused on closing prisons and reducing prison officers' pay" at a time when safety must be made "an absolute priority".
The POA said there had been an increase of 63 per cent in attacks of a serious nature in the four years up to 2002.
