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Salford's Forest Bank prison 'one of the most dangerous'

06/08/2007

Forest Bank prison in the Agecroft area of Salford has been named as Greater Manchester's most violent prison and the eighth most dangerous jail in the country.

Attacks by prisoners at Forest Bank totalled 2,329 in the last decade, 339 of which happened last year, according to Home Office figures.

By comparison, Strangeways in central Manchester witnessed 1,118 in the past ten years and 172 in 2006.

An inspection found that an average of 24 attacks against other inmates are taking place every month and that some employees have also fallen victim to the assaults, reports the Salford Advertiser.

"I think the reason for it is that privately run prisons don't train their staff quite as well as other institutions," said Bolton MP Brian Iddon.

"I'm concerned at these latest figures, not least because they follow an official report which doesn't reflect well on the prison," he told the Bolton News.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said that the "apparent" increase in the number of attacks is due to an enhanced reporting regime, which now includes minor assaults.


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