The UK Government has announced it has requested the use of 400 police cells to house offenders after an "acute and sudden increase in the prison population". Making a statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Justice minister Damian Hinds said the government had launched "Operation Safeguard" to deal with the demand.
He said that the increase was in part due to the aftermath of the barristers' strike earlier this year and that the move to use police cells was not "unprecedented." However, he noted that it had not been triggered since 2008.
Speaking to the house he said: "In recent months we have experienced an acute and sudden increase in the prison population, in part due to the aftermath of the Criminal Bar Association strike action over the summer which led to a significantly higher number of offenders on remand. With court hearings resuming we are seeing a surge in offenders coming through the criminal justice system, placing capacity pressure on adult male prisons in particular."
