Armed cops and riot squads storm jail cells in secret training exercise amid fears jihadis will target officers
Whitehall officials say training was not in response to a 'direct' threat
ARMED cops and riot squads have stormed jail cells in secret hostage rescue exercises amid growing fears of extremists kidnapping and killing prison officers.
The training drills involved elite police units and the Prison Service’s National Tactical Response Group, which deals with jail riots. Last night Whitehall sources said it was not in response to any direct intelligence threat.
But in recent years plots by Islamists at top-security Belmarsh prison have been thwarted.
In 2010, the Prison Officers Association had “credible intelligence” of a plot to kidnap and behead an officer.
The exercise involved warders playing hostage takers in a disused part of Glen Parva jail, Leics.
The prison in Leicestershire holds up to 808 male juveniles and young offenders
A source said: “A worse case scenario is that inmates take hostages inside a jail.
“These could be prison officers or they could be fellow inmates, or a mixture of both.
“These exercises are designed to put our response to the test to ensure that everybody knows what to do.”
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POA assistant secretary Glyn Travis said: “We believe prison officers are vulnerable.”
In August, Justice secretary Liz Truss announced four pilot units for extremists to stop them radicalising other inmates.
They will be at Belmarsh, Frankland, Long Lartin and Wakefield prisons.
The Ministry of Justice said it did not comment on operational exercises.