| Submit your comments on this article |
| Britain |
| Hundreds of inmates riot in UK prison, officials lose control |
| 2009-04-12 |
| Riot police have been sent into a prison to regain control after 400 inmates went on the rampage, setting fire to buildings in a protest over privileges. More than two-thirds of the prisoners at HMP Ashwell in Rutland were involved in the violence, which spread quickly when a riot in one wing led to a "total loss of control" by prison officers. Police surrounded the open prison, which is a mile and a half from the town of Oakham, while riot squads with dogs tried to end a series of sieges in each block. The Prison Officers Association (POA) said the inmates had barricaded themselves into buildings and were defending themselves with makeshift weapons. The union warned the riot would be "the first of many" because of a shortage of suitable cells in the penal system. The riot began at midnight on Friday night after several prisoners lost their special privileges, such as better pay for work or access to sports facilities. One inmate began a violent protest that spread quickly to other wings of the Category C jail, which houses prisoners deemed low-risk. Amid the chaos, prisoners ran from one wing to another, spreading the protest and looting kitchens and storage rooms for ladders, tools, and petrol that could be used to make weapons. They also stole food and drugs and started a string of fires. Nearby residents, woken by police helicopters with infrared search cameras, described the scene as "like a war". It was not until Saturday afternoon -- more than twelve hours after the violence began -- that the first of at least 150 prisoners were taken away from the facility in vans. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #1 Solution.... Fu** YEA! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-12 07:07 |