NI Affairs Committee told how prison officers continue to live under a severe threat of attack
The challenge of ending the separation of paramilitary prisoners in Northern Ireland’s jails should not be underestimated, MPs have been told.
Mr Armour said: “When I took over as director general in 2017 it was in the aftermath of a number of very significant events. The murder of two outstanding prison officers, David Black in 2012 and Adrian Ismay in 2016, and the difficult Maghaberry inspection report of 2015. He added: “Today in our care we have a total of 36 individuals who would be in separation. That is broken down with 15 who would affiliate to loyalism, 18 males affiliating to dissident republicanism and then we have three females as well. The numbers in separation are significantly down in recent years.”
“The NI Affairs Committee in 2004 concluded it was very likely that separation will have to remain in place as long as there are any prisoners in Northern Ireland who can reasonably claim a paramilitary affiliation. Mr Armour said: “Unfortunately, prison staff remain under a severe level of threat. The threat level has been unchanged against prison staff since 2012 following the murder of David Black. That means an attack is highly likely.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Brexiteers fear PM could push through Northern Ireland deal without support of DUP or Tory MPsConservative Brexiteers fear Rishi Sunak may seek to push a revised Brexit deal through without their approval if he cannot get the Democratic Unionist Party on side 🔴 HugoGye reports
Read more »
Rishi Sunak urges Tory MPs to back deal with EU on N Ireland trade\n\t\t\tGet local insights from Lisbon to Moscow with an unrivalled network of journalists across Europe,\n\t\t\texpert analysis, our dedicated ‘Brussels Briefing’ newsletter. Customise your myFT page to track\n\t\t\tthe countries of your choice.\n\t\t
Read more »
Tories give MPs tips on rebutting sewage-dumping attacks from Lib Dems and LabourThe Conservatives are seen as vulnerable in parts of the UK on the issue of pollution in rivers and seas
Read more »
The millennial MPs struggling to fix childcare, online safety and housing for their generationRishi Sunak may be a millennial, but the average age on the green benches is 51 Still, there are some younger MPs making waves in Parliament, and attempting to bring their generation's priorities to frontline politics ✒️ youngvulgarian
Read more »