Prison service recruitment process is 'not fit for purpose', as it hires officers who 'can't lock doors', says union chief

15 January 2025, 11:57

The prison service is hiring candidates over Zoom, with some who 'can't lock doors', in a recruitment process 'not fit for purpose', a union chief has said.

The prison service is using Zoom to hire unfit candidates for prison officer service, a union chief has said.

Mark Fairhurst, National Chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, told The Times that prison officers are being hired without any face-to-face interviews.

New recruits were given only six weeks of training before being sent to frontline prison work - which Fairhurst says is not enough.

The union chief said that the prison service recruitment system is "simply not fit for purpose".

He said: “We recruited a person before Christmas who got sent back to their establishment from the training college because they were not capable of locking or unlocking cell doors, they were incapable of controlling restraint training and they were incapable of conducting a rub down search.

“That governor has had to dismiss that member of staff because he discovered that that staff member had been recruited and has cerebral palsy. We are setting people up to fail.”

Fairhurst said that the poor recruitment and training process led to retention problems - as half of all recruits leave in their first two years of service.

In 2024, 165 prison staff were fired for misconduct, which is an increase of 34% from the year before, according to HM Prison & Probation Service.

Fairhurst told The Times that some recruits from overseas expect accommodation when they arrive.

He said: “We are recruiting from overseas and you are getting recruits from overseas, we have heard, turning up at the gate with suitcases and family in tow asking ‘Where is my accommodation?’,

“We have got examples of overseas recruits sleeping in their cars because they have no accommodation.

“Apparently there has been a bunch of overseas recruits who, because they have no accommodation, there is a wooded area opposite the prison where they are working at and they have set up camp there.”

The prison service told The Times: “Our prison officers undergo robust assessments and an extended period of training before they work in prisons.

"We also continuously review our recruitment process to ensure our officers are best suited to their role and have strengthened vetting procedures to root out applicants who fall below our high standards.”

Read more: Two-year-old boy dies after incident at nursery as police launch urgent investigation

Last month, a prison officer was jailed for 15 months after being filmed having sex with an inmate in a cell at HMP Wandsworth.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, has been jailed for misconduct in a public office after having intercourse with burglar Linton Weirich in his cell.

The former prison officer and OnlyFans model was told she will serve half in custody, and half on license, during the sentencing hearing on Monday.

Isleworth Crown Court heard of the severe impact the scandal has had on Ms Abreu’s colleagues, particularly female staff members.

On Monday, Weirch was attacked by a fellow prisoner while holding his three-month-old child during a visit from his girlfriend at Swaleside Prison in Kent, according to The Sun.

Both Weirich and the baby were rushed to hospital following the attack on December 18 where the infant was found to have a fractured skull and Weirich suffered head injuries.

Kent Police said in a statement: "Kent Police is investigating an allegation of assault at HMP Swaleside, which happened on 18 December 2024. 

"It is reported a prisoner was punched by another inmate in an area used for visitors.

"The victim sustained head injuries and fell onto a three-month-old baby he had been holding. 

"The baby suffered a fractured skull but has since been discharged from hospital.

"The suspect has been identified and an investigation is ongoing."

No arrests have yet been made.