Warning that UK prisons ‘could collapse’ if thousands of foreign officers are forced to leave

THE UK prison system could face “collapse” under new visa rules that risk forcing thousands of officers out of work – a warning that could have serious implications for HMP Parc in Bridgend, already struggling with chronic staff shortages and mounting criticism over safety.

Confidential data obtained by ITV News shows more than 2,600 prison staff across England and Wales are foreign nationals working on right-to-work visas.

Under Home Office rules introduced in July, anyone earning below the new £41,700 salary threshold may be unable to renew their visa and could face deportation when it expires.

A source within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service said around 2,200 of those affected are frontline officers, with the rest in administrative and support roles.

Starting salaries for prison officers range from £33,750 to £44,500, meaning many will fall below the new threshold – particularly those based outside London.

The Prison Officers’ Association has warned that the loss of so many experienced officers could “totally destabilise” the prison estate.
National chair Mark Fairhurst said: “We simply cannot afford to lose that many frontline staff. If the government does not exempt the prison service from the new salary thresholds, many prisons will not be able to function.”

The Prison Governors’ Association added that the loss of these workers would “leave a gap that cannot easily be filled,” calling the change “short-sighted and damaging”.

Potential impact on Parc

Although the Home Office has not released prison-by-prison figures, G4S run HMP Parc – Wales’s largest jail housing many prisoners from Pembrokeshire – is believed to recruit beyond the local labour market to fill vacancies.

Inspection reports have repeatedly highlighted problems with staff turnover, reliance on agency officers, and pressures caused by overcrowding and record numbers of deaths in custody.

If even a small number of Parc’s officers were affected by the new visa threshold, insiders warn it could “make a bad situation worse” at a prison already under strain.

A PEMBROKE DOCK man has appeared before magistrates after police discovered a samurai sword inside his home.

When officers visited the basement flat on Bush Street on October 23 for an unrelated matter, they found three swords on display – one of which was deemed to fall outside legal limits.

“The officers discovered three swords, one of which was without the criteria of the legislation,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week. “This was because the blade was 22 inches long.”

Defence solicitor Alaw Harries told the court that her client, 34-year-old Mark Briskham, had owned the sword for many years and kept it purely as an ornament.

“It was within his property and not in a public place, which would obviously be much more serious,” she said. “He’s owned the sword for many years, and it’s simply an ornament placed on a stand in a safe place and out of reach.”

After considering the mitigation, magistrates granted Briskham a conditional discharge. He was ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £26 surcharge. A destruction order was made for the samurai sword.

Court hears hurling stick was for self-defence

A PEMBROKE man has denied possessing an offensive weapon after police found him with a hurling stick outside his home.

Jack Morgan, aged 30, of The Green, Pembroke, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

The court heard that Morgan was arrested at his home on November 7 after police were called to an incident involving several men outside the property.

Defending, solicitor Jess Hill told magistrates that Morgan had only armed himself out of fear.

“Four males were beating on the door and the police were called, but there was a delay,” she said. “Jack Morgan was under considerable fear, so the hurling stick was for his protection.”

Morgan entered a plea of not guilty. The case was adjourned until December 22 for trial.

He was released on conditional bail requiring him to live and sleep at his home address, observe a curfew between 8:00pm and 8:00am, and have no contact with the prosecution witness.