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Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Armley prison today after announcing a £100 million investment package to boost security in prisons.

Mr Johnson walked around HM Prison Leeds, the category B prison in Armley, which was one of the country's most overcrowded when it was inspected two years ago.

Mr Johnson has vowed to stop the flow of drugs, weapons and phones flooding into prisons, in a bid to cut violence and ensure sentences rehabilitate offenders.

During the 2017 inspection, 60 per cent of inmates at HM Prison Leeds reported that drugs were easy to get hold of in prison.

Violence and drugs in prisons have been in the spotlight in recent times, with prison officers staging a mass walkout last year over safety concerns.

Labour accused the PM of 'timidly tinkering at the edges', saying the investment falls short of the sum needed to reverse the damage caused by years of Conservative cuts.

Announcing the pledge, Mr Johnson said: "We cannot allow our prisons to become factories for making bad people worse.

"We will stop the drugs, weapons and the mobile phones coming in, so we can safeguard victims, protect staff, cut violence and make our prisons properly equipped to reform and rehabilitate."

The Ministry of Justice said the funding, provided to jails in England and Wales, has been released by the Treasury and will be immediately available.

The sum will fund an increase in X-ray scanners and metal detectors across the prison estate, and be used to target drug smugglers and kingpins who continue to run their rings from behind bars.

It will also be used to strengthen the corruption unit that identifies dishonest prison staff.

And it will expand technology to detect and block mobiles being used in prisons and identify those harassing victims or organising drug deals from within prison.

Problems at HMP LEEDS Elite officers have been called to HM Prison Leeds 44 times over the last three years to deal with serious incidents. The specialist unit, known as the National Tactical Response Group, were called to the prison in Armley to deal with hostage taking situations, rooftop protests, a riot and 'incidents at height' where prisoners gain access to safety netting between 2016 and 2018.



The number of attacks by prisoners on prison officers and other inmates at HMP Leeds has hit a record high – for the second year running.There were 560 attacks recorded at the Armley jail last year.

Self-harm among prisoners at Leeds Prison continues to rise to record levels - there were 778 incidents of self-harm at the Armley jail in 2017/18.

According to a report from the Howard League for Penal Reform just 78% of prisoners in a survey at the Armley jail said they were permitted to shower every day in 2017.

HMP Leeds had the greatest number of prison officers quit after a year or less in the post. Some 31 new prison officers* left the Armley jail in 2018 having served 12 months or less.

Earlier today Morley and Outwood MP Andrea Jenkyns tweeted that the PM had had a 'great reception' in Leeds.

Leeds MP: 'Measures fall 'woefully short'

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon was critical of the scale of the announcement.

"These measures fall woefully short of what is needed to make our prisons safe. Faced with a prisons emergency caused by austerity, Boris Johnson is timidly tinkering at the edges," the Labour MP said.

"Reckless Tory cuts to staffing and budgets unleashed unprecedented levels of violence in our prisons.

"Boris Johnson should set out a detailed plan and provide proper funding to ensure that our prisons have the staffing and resources needed to focus on rehabilitation and reducing re-offending."

Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said it was a 'hollow move' by Mr Johnson which 'fails to tackle the causes of crime'.

"The further funding announced is still not being used to rehabilitate people to stop them committing crimes in the first place," she said.

"Boris Johnson can lock people up for longer or search people on their way in and out of prison, but none of this bravado will actually make our streets safer."

Justice secretary Robert Buckland, QC, said there is a 'direct link' between crime in prison wings and on the streets.

"By disrupting those who continue to offend behind bars, we can keep our staff and other prisoners safe, and make sure that prisons truly fulfil their purpose of protecting the public," he added.

The spending pledge is the latest in a string of announcements from the PM, each adding to suspicions a general election is looming.

Mr Johnson pledged £2.5 billion to create an extra 10,000 prison places over the weekend and £85 million for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Monday.

In recent weeks, the Government has also announced a £1.8 billion cash injection for the NHS and £2.1 billion boost to no-deal Brexit preparations.

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