Authorities ‘ignoring’ gang problem in jails

Prison officers are calling for an independent review of the gang problem in the country’s jails.

The Prisoners Officers’ Association said criminal gangs had “mirrored” their operations in the community inside prisons.

Speaking at the association’s annual conference in Galway last night, association president Stephen Delaney claimed the Prison Service seemed to be “largely ignoring” this threat.

He said these gang members needed to be “isolated” to protect other inmates.

“It is well known that we have a serious problem with gangs within our prison system. Prison gangs are active, vicious and cause immense difficulty within our prisons.

“We have heard some evidence of how these gangs operate on the outside in our courts in recent weeks. This is an unsafe situation, which can have dreadful consequences.”

Mr Delaney said these gangs set up systems which “mirror their modus operandi” in the communities.

“The Prison Service seems to largely ignore this most threatening development and it is left pretty much to the individual officer to work it out on a day by day issue by issue basis. This is unfair and unsafe”.

He said Justice Minister Alan Shatter needed to address this problem.

“I am asking the minister to establish an independent review of the development and behaviour of the criminal gangs in our prison system and to develop clear, concise and effective recommendations on how this can be controlled.

“These gangs are violent, threatening and a major source of fear and stress for the wider prison population — and there are remedies — such as isolation, which can address the situation.

“If some action is not taken we will have increasing problems, which will be more difficult to resolve in the longer term.”

Mr Delaney said the capacity of gangs to operate was greatly enhanced by the serious overcrowding in the prison system.

Meanwhile, another three inmates have escaped from an open prison at the centre of controversy over the transfer of dangerous criminals.

The prison service said the prisoners scaled a perimeter fence of Loughan House just outside Blacklion in Co Cavan on Tuesday.

The three, all in their 20s and none in custody for murder or manslaughter, spent up to three hours on the run, criss-crossing the border before being detained.

The escapes are the latest embarrassment for the prison service concerning Loughan.

Martin McDermott, jailed for seven years last July for the manslaughter of Garda Gary McLoughlin in 2009 after ramming him with a car, fled from the unit in March just 12 days after being transferred there.

The 26-year-old inmate was later arrested in Derry by the PSNI.

It was the second time McDermott, who has 91 previous offences, had fled from Loughan House and prison chiefs were forced to apologise for the prisoner’s transfer.