As prison population in England soars after riots, Kate Middleton visits site of violence

Published on Friday 19 August 2011 17:07

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited a community centre yesterday near the spot where three men were killed during last week's riots.

Their visit came as it was revealed the prison population in England and Wales had reached a record high for the second week running, as more people are sent to jail as a result of the riots.

William and Kate were greeted outside Summerfield Community Centre in Winson Green, Birmingham, by Paul Sabapathy, Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Anita Ward, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, and Chris Sims, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.

The centre is a short distance from the spot in Dudley Road where three men were struck by a car as they tried to protect shops and homes from looters.

Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, died in the early hours of 10 August. They were buried on Thursday after an open-air funeral service attended by more than 20,000 mourners.

The duke and duchess began their visit with a private meeting with the men's parents. They spent 15 minutes speaking with the bereaved families before moving into the centre's sports hall to meet members of the emergency services and local dignitaries.

Kate wore a navy blue pencil skirt with gold buttons on the front, teamed with a cream blouse with matching buttons and navy blue military style detailing.

The outfit, which accentuated her slender frame, was finished with a pair of high-heeled navy blue court shoes. William wore a navy blue suit with a pale blue shirt and a blue patterned tie.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice said the total number of prisoners in England and Wales had hit 86,654 - 723 more than the previous record of 85,931 set last week and less than 1,500 short of the usable operational capacity of 88,093, Ministry of Justice figures showed.

The government has said there will be enough jail places for anyone sentenced to custody as a result of the violence and looting that swept across England's cities last week.

The prison service said it was facing an "unprecedented situation" and was "developing contingencies to increase usable capacity should further pressure be placed on the prison estate".