UK Government forced to ask police for cells after…

UK Government forced to ask police for cells after running out of prison space

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."

He added: "I'm announcing today that we've written to the National Police Chiefs Council to request the temporary use of up to 400 police cells through an established protocol known as Operation Safeguard." The minister said that the use of police cells was an "established procedure" used in periods of high demand. He said: "This will provide the immediate additional capacity we need in the coming weeks to ensure the smooth running of the prison estate and to continue taking dangerous criminals off the streets.

"I would like to thank the National Police Chiefs Council for their support in mobilising this operation. We already routinely work hand-in-glove with police forces across the country to occasionally use police cells to hold offenders overnight.

"The triggering of Operation Safeguard is not an unprecedented move. This is an established procedure, used before, to ensure our prison system can operate effectively and safely during periods of high demand. It last happened in 2006, and then in 2007 and 2008."

He said the government had "long anticipated" the rise due to additional measures to tackle crime. The announcement was met with scathing criticism by opposition MPs who said overcrowding in the prison system is "more evidence that we can no longer afford the cost of the Conservatives".

Shadow justice minister Ellie Reeves told the Commons: "This is yet another crisis created by this shambolic Tory Government. It is hard to think of a more damning indictment of this Government's failure on law and order than the fact they have now run out of cells to lock up criminals.

"But it is hardly surprising when under the Tories 10,000 prison places have been lost. Not only this, 663 police stations have closed, so who knows how long it will be until this contingency plan will need a contingency plan all of its own?

"While we find ourselves in a situation with not enough cells, in response to a recent parliamentary question we discovered that over the last five years the Tories have spent over £1 million on maintaining closed prisons. Just more evidence that we can no longer afford the cost of the Conservatives."