Officers are living in fear says NI prison chief

The head of prisons in Northern Ireland urged police today to end the misery of warders who fear their details are on suspected IRA hitlists.

Detectives have been poring over files seized during raids to smash an alleged terrorist spy ring inside the government’s Belfast headquarters.

With names and addresses of nearly all the 2,000 men and women employed by the Prison Service in Ulster thought to be on the documents, director general Peter Russell called for an end to the uncertainty.

He said: “This is gnawing at our officers and police need to identify names as fast as they possibly can.

“They are under a legal obligation to notify all these people but it’s causing anxiety that they are not yet in a position to do that.”

NI prison service bosses are working closely with a special police unit set up to unravel material snatched during the raids in north and west Belfast and alert those named.

Sinn Fein’s offices at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, were also searched during the swoop.

Mr Russell feared most prison officers’ details were contained on the documents, although police have yet to confirm this.

“They seem to have a feel for total numbers without having individual names yet,” he said.

“We think it’s the majority of our staff from what police have told us.”

Union representatives have hit out at the Police Service of Northern Ireland for leaving terrified prison officers in limbo.

But Mr Russell insisted staff fearing for their safety were being kept informed of progress.

“I’m sure police are doing their level best and it is my understanding that as soon as they are in a position to do this, they will.”