Rise in assaults on prison officers

Assaults on prison officers by inmates have increased over the last three years – but representatives claim the figures still do not capture the full scale of violence.

The recorded incidents of direct assaults on officers, compiled by the Irish Prison Service (IPS), show there were 104 in 2017, up from 98 in 2016 and 91 in 2015.

The 2017 figure is the second highest over the last six years, in which assaults rose from 71 in 2012 to 98 in 2013, and peaking at 131 in 2014.