Tasers are set to be issued to some staff in male prisons as the government attempts to crack down on “unacceptable” record levels of violence.
Specialist officers from the Operational Response and Resilience Unit based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, and Doncaster, South Yorkshire, will be the first to become equipped with electric stun guns when the pilot launches on Monday.
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said she is “determined to keep prison staff safe” as she attended the base in Kidlington last week.
The trial in England and Wales will run until enough data has been collected to determine if Tasers should be more widely used, according to the Ministry of Justice – but Ms Mahmood said she hoped to have updates in the autumn.
The launch comes after rates of assaults on prison staff reached record levels last year, rising by 13 per cent in the 12 months up to December 2024, according to government data. There were also 10,496 assaults on staff in the 12 months to September 2024 – a 23 per cent increase from the previous 12 months and a new peak.
Unions welcomed the new trial, but called on the government to address the roots of violence in jail.
Last week, officers demonstrated how they would use Tasers on violent inmates in scenarios where there is a significant threat to safety – such as hostage situations or riots.
Speaking to reporters at the Kidlington base, Ms Mahmood said: “I inherited a situation with completely unacceptable levels of violence. I’m not willing to tolerate that. I’m determined to do everything I can to keep prison staff safe.
“They have been asking for Tasers to be allowed to be used in our prison estate for years and years and years, and I’m very pleased to have been able to greenlight this trial.”
In April this year, Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi targeted prison staff at HMP Frankland with boiling oil and homemade weapons in a planned ambush. Four prison officers were injured at the jail in Brasside, County Durham, with three taken to hospital.
“The incident of Frankland has really forced the pace on further roll-out of these measures,” Ms Mahmood said.
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana also allegedly attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh in May by pouring boiling water over them.
Union bosses called for officers to be given stab vests and protective equipment, with Ms Mahmood announcing in June that officers would be told to wear body armour at close supervision centres, separation centres and segregation units in the highest categories of prisons in England and Wales.
The trial will use the Taser 7 model, which generates 50,000 volts when fired, with the voltage dropping to 1,500 volts on contact with the skin to incapacitate the target. The T7 model is also a two-shot weapon, enabling officers to shoot a second time in the event they miss their target the first time.
The Tasers will be worn by officers on their tactical vest in a secure holster, making the weapon visible to inmates as a deterrent, officers told Ms Mahmood last week. They added that the device also collects data – such as how long it was discharged for – which will contribute to the trial.
Officers already have access to batons and Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, in men’s prisons in the public sector.
The Ministry of Justice announced in April Pava spray is due to be made available “in limited circumstances” to a select number of specialist staff at the three public sector young offender institutions – including YOI Werrington, Wetherby and Feltham A.
The Taser trial is part of a £40 million package announced last month to boost security across the prison estate, including £10 million specifically for anti-drone measures such as new netting and reinforced windows, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said on Monday.
“Officers will be subject to robust accountability measures, each deployment of a taser will be reviewed,” a spokesperson for the MoJ added.
A spokesperson for the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said: “The POA will always support any initiative that will help protect our members.
“However, as welcome as this initiative is we need to address the reasons why prison officers need Tasers in the first place.
“Violence in our prisons is out of control and apathetic prison managers would rather put the prison regime before the safety of their staff.
“We urgently need action to address overcrowding, understaffing, drugs and the other root causes of prison violence.”
