More fires in prison cells
The number of fires in prison cells leapt last year, raising concerns over the lack of fire safety equipment in jails.
Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that there were 2,287 cell fires in 2023 in England and Wales, an increase of 62 per cent on the previous year’s figure and the highest annual total since records began in 2016. Separate figures from the Home Office show that fire services attended 1,892 incidents in prisons and young offenders’ units in England in 2023/24, a rise of 82 per cent on the previous year.
The fire service expressed concern that in four out of five cells to which they were called there were no sprinkler systems installed, and whilst there were only three fatalities between 2016 and 2023, there were almost 900 injuries from such fires.
The findings were uncovered by researcher Rob Allen, who pointed to a Prison Service Instruction making clear to staff that “a fire occurring anywhere within custodial premises could have serious consequences in terms of life, safety, business continuity and security”.
The Prison Service has embarked on a programme to increase fire detection and suppression measures in its establishments. The aim is to bring all accommodation up to modern fire safety standards by the end of 2027, a commitment made to the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate (CPFSI) which enforces the standards in government buildings. However, in a blog post, Allen casts doubt on whether, at the current rate of progress, this will be achieved – suggesting that with the prison capacity crisis adding to the problem, even 2030 may be unlikely.
Bringing cells up to modern fire safety standards requires them to be taken out of use whilst the work is carried out, but the latest annual report from HM Prison and Probation Service states that “prison capacity pressures have restricted our ability to take places out of use for refurbishment and compliance works”.
The Ministry of Justice figures for numbers of cell first include a prison-by-prison breakdown which shows that in 2023, HMP Lowdham Grange suffered the most cell fires (126), followed by HMP Woodhill (101).
Nice to know that prisoners’ safety is paramount, eh? rolls eyes
Let’s just say that some of those “accidents” were probably caused by the lags themselves, either for attention or just plain wanton destruction. I won’t say how they do it but I’m sure you can figure it out.
Excluding spontaneous combustion of the human body, and the unauthorised possession of matches, flints and accelerants, – we must be talking about the electrical safety of kettles, of televisions, and of the lithium batteries in modern cellphones? Accidents, I mean.
Going back to the traditional poem, and by analogy, – I humbly think we might put a fence around the top of the cliff, rather than better ambulances down in the valley?