Assaults on prison staff nearly hourly in England and Wales, data shows

HMP Wakefield, a high-security facility, recorded 61 assaults on staff in the first six months of 2023. Photograph: APS (UK)/Alamy

There were nearly 8,000 assaults on prison staff in the year to June 2023, almost one an hour on average, the Liberal Democrats have said, arguing that the statistic shows the consequences of prisoner overcrowding and low staffing levels.

Official statistics showed there were 7,908 assaults over the 12 months in prisons across England and Wales – 6% higher than the same period a year before – with 748 of them classified as serious.