Shropshire Star

Staff end disorder at HMP Birmingham after seven hour stand-off with inmates

G4S, which runs the jail, said the incident was “brought to a safe conclusion” at around 11.45pm.

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HMP Birmingham

Prison staff were involved in a stand-off with inmates lasting almost seven hours following a disturbance at a jail.

An unknown number of prisoners refused to return to their cells at the end of the evening at HMP Birmingham, a category B and C jail.

G4S, which runs the jail, said the incident was “brought to a safe conclusion” at around 11.45pm.

A spokesman for the prison said: “Staff have successfully resolved disorder on one wing at HM Prison Birmingham.

“The incident began shortly after 17:00 hours on Sunday 3 September 2017 after a group of prisoners refused to return to their cells.

“No staff or prisoners were injured during the incident and the rest of the establishment was unaffected.”

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Specially trained prison staff successfully resolved an incident at HMP Birmingham on 3 September. There were no injuries to staff or prisoners.

“We do not tolerate violence in our prisons, and are clear that those responsible will be referred to the police and could spend longer behind bars.”

It came after some 240 prisoners were moved out of HMP Birmingham, one of the country’s biggest jails, last December.

Hundreds of inmates were caught up in the disorder and four wings at the privately-run jail were damaged during the disturbances, which lasted for more than 12 hours.

Riot squads were deployed to the prison after reports of prisoners setting fire to stairwells and destroying paper records.

At the time, West Midlands Ambulance Service said one man, believed to be in his 20s, was taken to hospital with a facial injury as well as cuts, bruises and a reduced consciousness, but no prison staff were injured.

The city centre jail, formerly known as Winson Green, can hold up to 1,450 inmates.

G4S has run the prison since 2011 when it became the first public-sector jail to be privatised.

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