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<p>Please see the attached table showing the number of prisoner assaults on staff,
by offence of prisoner, 2016 to 2019 and January to September 2020 and the number
of assaults on staff for 2015.</p><p> </p><p>Violence against our hard-working prison
officers is unacceptable and will never be tolerated, and we work closely with the
police and Crown Prosecution Service to bring the perpetrators to justice. Additionally,
as outlined in our Sentencing White Paper, we will double the maximum sentence for
assaulting an emergency worker from 12 months to two years.</p><p>We are also giving
officers tools like PAVA pepper spray and body-worn cameras to make their jobs safer,
as well as access to post incident care teams, occupational health support and counselling
for those who need it. More widely, we are spending £100 million to bolster prison
security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence
and crime behind bars. This is funding tough measures including X-ray body scanners,
drug dogs and phone-blocking technology.</p>
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