£3 Million Investment Gives Overseas Prison Officers Body-Cams

Officers welcome Ministry of Justice's new measures for England and Wales, including trial of incapacitant spray.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Oct 27, 2017

The Ministry of Justice has announced prison officers across England and Wales will have access to body-worn cameras as part of a £3 million investment to improve safety in jails.

The announcement detailed that £2 million of the investment will go to purchasing 5,600 cameras meaning every prison officer in England and Wales will have a device. The other £1 million will be invested in "police-style" handcuffs and restraints to reduce the need for staff to use physical holds to control aggressive prisoners.

Four prisons in the area will also trial the use of incapacitant spray, similar to pepper spray, for dealing with violent offenders.

Prison Minister Sam Gyimah told reporters that the increased security measures would ensure officers have the right tools for the job and allow them to tackle "head-on issues that undermine the safety and security of our prisons."

In addition to the body-cameras and police-style equipment, the prisons have brought in 300 sniffer dogs trained in detecting psychoactive substances and putting in place technology to block mobile phones from working.

"This latest investment underlines our commitment to transform our prisons into places of safety and should send a clear message to those intent on thwarting our efforts to make progress," Gyimah said. "We will do everything in our power to stop them."