July 14th 2024.
Last week, officers working at Winchester Prison were caught in a compromising situation after a formal complaint was filed about their behavior. Photos taken by former magistrate Georgia Swift showed the officers enjoying themselves at the pub next door before heading back to work. The pictures captured eight to nine staff members, including a supervising officer in uniform, sitting at the County Arms pub during their lunch break on June 15.
According to the complaint, the officers were allegedly returning to duty after consuming alcohol at the Category B prison for men and young offenders in Hampshire. The photos clearly show beer on the table and some of the staff members even made direct eye contact with the camera while waving. After their lunch, the staff members were seen walking back to the prison and going through a security-controlled area.
Georgia Swift, who took the photos, had previously raised concerns about the prison conditions but felt that they were not being taken seriously. She even resigned from her role in the courts service in order to support her partner, who was being held at the prison. As they were returning to collect his belongings earlier this month, they noticed the staff members sitting outside the pub and chose to sit inside to avoid any confrontation.
According to Georgia, as they were ordering their food at the bar, two more officers walked in and ordered pints of Guinness and lager. They also saw other officers drinking beer through the window. Her partner, who has a good sense of the prison's schedule, became concerned that these officers would be returning to duty after drinking alcohol. The bartender confirmed that some staff members had indeed bought alcohol, while others ordered Coca-Cola. Another staff member even told them that this kind of behavior happens all the time.
The couple then returned to the prison at the same time as the staff members and heard one of the officers making inappropriate comments about them. In her complaint to Governor Bourke, Georgia expressed her shock and disappointment at the unprofessional behavior of the prison officers. She stated that it was unacceptable for them to consume alcohol before returning to work in a facility where vulnerable and aggressive individuals are held in confined and poor conditions, with easy access to drugs. She also mentioned that it was incomprehensible for these professionals to think it was appropriate to drink alcohol during their working hours.
A spokesperson for the Prison Service stated that they had investigated the incident and the staff members involved received a verbal warning regarding their behavior. Georgia's partner, who is a recovering heroin addict and was held at the prison for six months, also shared his experiences with staff members who would come back from their break smelling of alcohol. He stated that it was not uncommon for them to use excuses like someone else spilling their drink or the smell getting on them from someone else, but it was not like the smell of cigarette smoke that lingers.
In many other professions, alcohol consumption during working hours is strictly prohibited. For example, NHS workers are not allowed to consume alcohol during their breaks or before starting their shift due to concerns about their competence. Similarly, police officers are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol while in uniform, as it could damage the reputation of the police service. Georgia believes that it is unacceptable for some staff members at the prison to think it is appropriate to consume alcohol before returning to duty.
The Agency also spoke to a recent inmate of Winchester Prison, William Bruce, who was released last month after serving seven months on remand for beating someone with a motorcycle helmet. He shared that the morale among staff members was extremely low, with some of them struggling to make a positive difference in the poor working conditions and culture at the prison. He also spoke about the chaotic scenes he witnessed, where inmates would often need to be resuscitated after self-harm incidents.
William also mentioned that the use of the drug Spice was rampant in the prison and inmates high on the drug would be seen lying on the ground while others walked past them. He also stated that the fire alarms would often go off due to inmates smoking in their cells. William, who had been inside the prison 25 years ago, was shocked to see the decline in the state of the prison estate.
In 2005, the prison service's director of personnel announced plans to alcohol test prison staff, stating that alcohol and prisons do not mix well. The current rules state that staff members must not have a breath alcohol level that exceeds the legal drink/drive limits while on duty. The Prison Service did not respond when asked if there was an explicit prohibition on staff members drinking alcohol in the pub during their breaks.
Winchester Prison was also highlighted in a national report by the Independent Monitoring Boards in May for its poor conditions. The report even mentioned an incident where an inmate managed to tunnel through the wall of his cell using plastic cutlery from the canteen. These issues raise concerns about the overall state of the prison and the well-being of the inmates.
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