Highlands and Islands MSP, Edward Mountain, today raised serious concerns about HMP Inverness following news that key areas of the prison are without CCTV.
During First Minister’s Questions, Edward Mountain said:
“the new Highland prison has been delayed for years and the current prison is no longer fit for purpose. It is overcrowded and 200 prisoners from the Highlands have been dispersed elsewhere. Seizures of drugs, weapons and mobile phones have increased, and we learn today from the Press & Journal’s work that key areas of the prison are without CCTV, endangering prison staff.
First Minister, is it not time that the safety and welfare of our Highland prison staff was made a top priority. Will you or your Cabinet Secretary meet jointly with me and prison staff to try and resolve the safety issues at HMP Inverness?”
The First Minister replied:
“The Cabinet Secretary for Justice would of course be happy to meet members to discuss issues in our prisons. We are committed to on-going investment in our prison estate and to modernising and improving it. Security, not just in terms of prisoners but for the staff who work in our prisons, is extremely important. CCTV is important, but the Scottish Prison Service has measures beyond that for the staff and people in the service’s care in HMP Inverness in particular. We will continue that work, and we are happy to discuss the plans in more detail.”
Following their exchange, Edward Mountain made the following comment:
“There are very real safety concerns at HMP Inverness and I’m not confident that the First Minister truly appreciates the gravity of the situation, however I do welcome her assurance that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice will meet with me and prison staff.
If the Scottish Government had delivered on their promise to build a modern prison in the Highlands then staff would be working in safer conditions by now.
The overcrowding at Inverness prison and under-investment in its replacement is a stain on this Scottish Government’s record.”
HCUA Comment:
So, according to Nicola Sturgeon "Security, not just in terms of prisoners but for the staff who work in our prisons, is extremely important." - but apparently not important enough for the SNP Administration to actually get on with building a new prison in Inverness. Of course the SNP is happy to waste countless millions on its ideological obsession with separation from the UK, but when it comes to actually delivering on on its promises to invest in the Highlands, there seems to be no money.