‘Strong commitment’ at HMP & YOI Grampian despite prison estate woes

Prison officers in the North East have been praised for their hard work after new statistics showed some of the lowest turnover and sickness absence rates in Scotland.

New statistics show HMP Grampian had just 5.27% prison officer turnover in the last 12 months, compared to 11.01% in Edinburgh and 10.4% in Dumfries. Grampian also had the second-lowest number of average working days lost across the Scottish prison estate, 9.5 compared with 25.5 in Stirling and 20.5 in Greenock.

Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr obtained the figures by parliamentary questions.

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He said: “Prison officers work in some of the most stressful and occasionally dangerous environments for any public servant. There is obviously a strong feeling of duty and commitment among staff members at HMP Grampian.

​Figures reveal there is a ‘strong commitment’ at HMP & YOI Grampian, despite prison estate woes.​Figures reveal there is a ‘strong commitment’ at HMP & YOI Grampian, despite prison estate woes.
​Figures reveal there is a ‘strong commitment’ at HMP & YOI Grampian, despite prison estate woes.

“But there is a massive issue surrounding outdated facilities and overcrowding at many of our prisons, which was highlighted by the Auditor General for Scotland this month. Add on a lack of basic resources and rampant drug use, this is having a huge impact on prisoner rehabilitation and staff safety.

“It’s commendable then that Peterhead is doing so well to keep its people – the SNP Government should look to the north east as a model for how a prison is run.”

In a report accompanying the audit of the Scottish Prison Service, Auditor General Stephen Boyle said: “The number of risks and challenges facing the prisons system is considerable and will be exacerbated further with increasing prisoner numbers in an ageing prison estate.”