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05/07/2017
Other News In Brief
Man Assaulted In Co Armagh Car Hijacking
A man has been assaulted after his car was hijacked in Middletown, Co Armagh.
The incident occurred in the Church Street area of the village at around 5am this morning, Wednesday 05 July.
Sergeant Buchanan said: "Early this morning, just after the victim had parked his car in the shared driveway of a property, he was hit in the face by a man described as being 5'7”-5'8” in height and wearing jeans, a dark top and a balaclava.
"The assailant then stole the keys of the injured man's white Kia Sportage and made off in the direction of the Monaghan Road."
Sergeant Buchanan asked anyone who witnessed anything that could help officers with their investigation should contact police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 141 of 5/7/17, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
UUP Calls For Resolution To Prison Staffing Issues
The UUP have called for more to be done to resolve staffing issues in Northern Ireland's prisons.
Party Justice spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, said a recent meeting with representatives from the Prison Officers Association revealed "serious concerns" remain regarding staffing issues within the local prison system, especially HMP Maghaberry.
The POA believe the number of officers staffing the house in general should be set at between 10 to 12. However, current levels sit at around eight.
Mr Beattie said: "In particular, the POA are concerned about the manning of the control pods in each 'house' which should be set at two officers, but due to enhanced technology, has been reduced to one. The issue being that the intended enhancement in technology has not materialised, and the system – particularly signing prisoners out of the house - which should be electronic, remains manual.
"There are also concerns about the number of officers staffing the house in general. The POA believe that this should be set at between 10 to 12, yet due to a Regime Delivery Quota (RDQ) - set by the Northern Ireland prison Service (NIPS) - the level of staffing sits at around 8.
"This means that in order to monitor a floor with just 2 officers, they actually have to break rules set out by the prison leadership and conduct an unlock with just 1 officer so the second officer can have sight of the opposing section of the landing.
"These staffing issues are exacerbated by the situation in the Emergency Control room – the central hub of the prison that monitors all activities. This should have 4 officers and 1 Manager, but is expected to control the prison with 4 officers by day and 3 at night. All too often it is 3 throughout the day as well. The importance of this control room cannot be overstated. It basically sets the tempo and regime for the whole prison and if it is not functioning correctly due to being understaffed, the whole prison regime suffers. It has a role to ensure that all lock-ups take place on time and if they do not, then they must be reported to the Justice Minister. However, that does not happen and the routine failure of the prison to lock prisoners up on time and as per the prison regime, goes unreported.
"Until we address the staffing of the NIPS, and value officers to promote retention, we will continue to be on the back foot. Given the working environment, failure is tragically measured by avoidable deaths in custody," he concluded.
Man Arrested As Part Of INLA Investigation
A 38-year-old man has been arrested by police probing organised criminality associated with the INLA.
The suspect was arrested following search in West Belfast today, 05 July.
PSNI Detective Inspector Pete Mullan said: "One man, aged 38, was arrested in west Belfast this morning and has been taken to the serious crime suite in Musgrave Police Station for questioning.
"We are conducting searches at two addresses in the west Belfast area as part of the investigation."
(LM)
A man has been assaulted after his car was hijacked in Middletown, Co Armagh.
The incident occurred in the Church Street area of the village at around 5am this morning, Wednesday 05 July.
Sergeant Buchanan said: "Early this morning, just after the victim had parked his car in the shared driveway of a property, he was hit in the face by a man described as being 5'7”-5'8” in height and wearing jeans, a dark top and a balaclava.
"The assailant then stole the keys of the injured man's white Kia Sportage and made off in the direction of the Monaghan Road."
Sergeant Buchanan asked anyone who witnessed anything that could help officers with their investigation should contact police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 141 of 5/7/17, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
UUP Calls For Resolution To Prison Staffing Issues
The UUP have called for more to be done to resolve staffing issues in Northern Ireland's prisons.
Party Justice spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, said a recent meeting with representatives from the Prison Officers Association revealed "serious concerns" remain regarding staffing issues within the local prison system, especially HMP Maghaberry.
The POA believe the number of officers staffing the house in general should be set at between 10 to 12. However, current levels sit at around eight.
Mr Beattie said: "In particular, the POA are concerned about the manning of the control pods in each 'house' which should be set at two officers, but due to enhanced technology, has been reduced to one. The issue being that the intended enhancement in technology has not materialised, and the system – particularly signing prisoners out of the house - which should be electronic, remains manual.
"There are also concerns about the number of officers staffing the house in general. The POA believe that this should be set at between 10 to 12, yet due to a Regime Delivery Quota (RDQ) - set by the Northern Ireland prison Service (NIPS) - the level of staffing sits at around 8.
"This means that in order to monitor a floor with just 2 officers, they actually have to break rules set out by the prison leadership and conduct an unlock with just 1 officer so the second officer can have sight of the opposing section of the landing.
"These staffing issues are exacerbated by the situation in the Emergency Control room – the central hub of the prison that monitors all activities. This should have 4 officers and 1 Manager, but is expected to control the prison with 4 officers by day and 3 at night. All too often it is 3 throughout the day as well. The importance of this control room cannot be overstated. It basically sets the tempo and regime for the whole prison and if it is not functioning correctly due to being understaffed, the whole prison regime suffers. It has a role to ensure that all lock-ups take place on time and if they do not, then they must be reported to the Justice Minister. However, that does not happen and the routine failure of the prison to lock prisoners up on time and as per the prison regime, goes unreported.
"Until we address the staffing of the NIPS, and value officers to promote retention, we will continue to be on the back foot. Given the working environment, failure is tragically measured by avoidable deaths in custody," he concluded.
Man Arrested As Part Of INLA Investigation
A 38-year-old man has been arrested by police probing organised criminality associated with the INLA.
The suspect was arrested following search in West Belfast today, 05 July.
PSNI Detective Inspector Pete Mullan said: "One man, aged 38, was arrested in west Belfast this morning and has been taken to the serious crime suite in Musgrave Police Station for questioning.
"We are conducting searches at two addresses in the west Belfast area as part of the investigation."
(LM)
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A 22-year-old man has died while in custody at Maghaberry Prison, the Northern Ireland Prison Service has reported. The Department of Justice has confirmed that the man died in custody on the morning of Thursday, 30 August. The man's next of kin have been informed. The PSNI, Coroner and Prisoner Ombudsman have been informed about the death.
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