Gwent Police officer charged over indecent images of children
He has been released on bail and is due to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on 18 August.
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Sky News
5 minutes ago
- Sky News
Tasers to be used in prisons to tackle 'unacceptably high' levels of violence
Tasers can be used in prisons for the first time to tackle "unacceptably high" levels of violence, as part of a new trial. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she is "determined to keep prison staff safe". Specialist officers from two bases in Oxfordshire and Doncaster can now be deployed to incidents in adult male prisons in England and Wales, equipped with Tasers. Reporters attending a demonstration were shown how they could be used in certain scenarios, where there is a threat to safety, including hostage situations or riots, and where multiple people are involved in "mass disorder". One demonstration involved four prisoners who had become disruptive in the exercise yard. After staff were forced to withdraw, three inmates turned on one and it was deemed there was an "immediate threat to life." Officers gave verbal warnings before deploying the Tasers at a distance. This trial will use the Taser 7 model, which is what police officers currently use. It can generate 50,000 volts when triggered, but drops to about 1,500 volts when hitting the target. In a separate hostage situation, officers used pyrotechnics which produced loud bangs and smoke to distract an aggressive "inmate" before putting them in handcuffs. At first, specialist national officers from the two bases can be deployed if such incidents occur. It's understood at the moment these teams get 800 callouts a year - averaging just over two a day. The trial will run until enough data is collected to determine whether Tasers should be rolled out more widely. Ms Mahmood said she intends to have further updates in the autumn and will "consider" whether local staff inside jails can use them. "From my perspective, this is very much the beginning," she said. Violence in prisons has been rising. In the 12 months to December there were 10,605 assaults on staff, a rise of 13% on the year before and a new peak. Serious assaults were also up 10% on the previous 12 months. Earlier this year, Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi attacked prison staff at the high-security jail HMP Frankland, using hot cooking oil and homemade, or improvised, weapons. The justice secretary said the incident at Frankland "forced the pace" of further measures to tackle violence. Southport killer Axel Rudakubana also allegedly attacked a member of staff at HMP Belmarsh by pouring hot water over them from inside his cell. The Prison Officers Association (POA) union urged ministers to consider protective equipment and stab vests for staff. Last month, the government announced the use of body armour at certain units in high-security jails, which house some of the most dangerous inmates. But while "grateful" for a "step in the right direction", the POA don't think the new measure goes far enough - and instead want specialist staff inside jails trained to use Tasers. "It is pointless a national response being several hours away if, locally, Taser is needed to immediately preserve life and combat threat," Mark Fairhurst, the POA's national chairman said. Whitehall wants to consider the "lessons" from this trial before any potential further rollout. Ms Mahmood pointed out that while Tasers have been used for many years by the police, "a custodial setting is different to usage in other scenarios".
South Wales Argus
8 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Newport man admits causing serious injury to dog walker
Ian Probert, aged 40, from Newport admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving to Jackie Davies on Rowan Way in the Malpas area of the city. The victim and her dog were trapped under the defendant's Volkswagen Passat before he fled the scene. Gwent Police said at the time that she had suffered potentially life-threatening injuries following the incident at around 6.30am on Monday, January 13. Probert also admitted failing to report a road accident and failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver/rider of a vehicle. (Image: Ian Probert) His case was committed to the crown court where he is due to be sentenced next month on Friday, August 22. Probert, of Thames Close, Bettws was granted conditional bail. While he was on the run, crime fighting charity CrimeStoppers offered a £1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. A spokesperson said: "Ian Probert is wanted for causing serious injury by dangerous driving. "On January 13, in the Malpas area, an elderly woman and her dog were trapped under a car, causing serious injuries, the driver fled the scene. "A reward of up to £1,000 is available for the anonymous information on the whereabouts of Ian Probert.' In a statement issued at the time, Gwent Police said: "We received a report of a road traffic collision in Rowan Way, Newport at around 6.35am on Monday 13 January. "Officers attended along with personnel from the Welsh Ambulance Service, Welsh Air Ambulance and the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. "The collision involved a silver Volkswagen Passat and a pedestrian. 'The pedestrian, a woman, has been taken to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. "The occupants of the car reportedly left the scene prior to police attendance. "Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information, including CCTV, doorbell footage or dashcam footage, is asked to contact us.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Taser trial for prison staff to tackle violence behind bars
Specially trained staff in male prisons in England and Wales will be issued with Tasers as part of a new trial to clamp down on pilot comes as new figures obtained by the BBC show more than £20m has been paid out in damages over five years to staff and prisoners who have been say they will look at whether the electric stun guns should be more widely used after the trial this Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the cost of the "intolerable" levels of violence was an issue the government needed to tackle with a sense of urgency and the use of Tasers was long overdue. Speaking after watching a demonstration of the technology at a training facility in Oxfordshire, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government would not allow jails to be controlled by fear or disorder."We're already rolling out protective body armour and by trialling Tasers we're making sure staff have the tools they need to keep themselves safe." Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the POA, said: "Prisons have been overcrowded for decades, which leads to a lack of activity spaces for prisoners leading to boredom, drug abuse and violence."Staff must be equipped with the personal protective equipment they need to quell violence and prevent life-changing injuries."The Tasers will be issued to a specialist national unit, which will respond to complex and serious incidents in men's prisons where there is a risk to safety, including hostage situations and riots. Severe PTSD after attack The intervention follows an attack on three prison officers in April at HMP Frankland in County officer Claire Lewis, who is still affected by severe PTSD after being stabbed by a prisoner 15 years ago, is welcoming the Taser roll-out in limited said: "Tasers are a great piece of kit, however, only in an environment whereby it's a planned extraction or if there's an assault on a wing." Ms Lewis, who also worked at HMP Frankland, is campaigning for all officers to have stab-proof vests. "If I'd have got a vest on when I was attacked, I would not have received the serious injury I did to my back - it narrowly missed my spinal cord." The latest Ministry of Justice figures showed the number of staff assaulted in adult prisons across England and Wales hit a new peak last 2020 and 2024 there were 334 compensation claims for prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, 232 prisoner-on-staff cases and 104 claims of staff assaulting inmates, according to a BBC freedom of information - not her real name - a former prison worker in south-east England, said: "They used to use snooker balls in socks, now they use full cans of drinks in socks to attack each other,"They make knives out of tuna cans. I did see an officer get kettled, which means hot water thrown over him."The Prison Service says it is also ramping up the number of full lockdown searches in high-security jails to stop more of the contraband which fuels violence behind month anti-drone measures such as new netting and reinforced windows were announced. President of the Prison Governors' Association Tom Wheatley backed the Taser trial for specialist officers, but not a wider roll-out to staff."If they were issued to all officers on a daily basis, it could carry additional risk," he said."Certainly not issued more generally, because they form a threat item, so if somebody managed to get a Taser off a member of staff, that would be a real concern to us."
