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<p>The attached table shows the number of assaults and self-harm incidents by prisoners
in custody in the West Midlands and England, from January 2019 to June 2020.</p><p>Levels
of self-harm fell 15% in the most recent quarter (April to June 2020) in England and
Wales and violence fell by 37% over the same time period and by 19% in the 12 months
to June 2020. Levels of self-harm and violence also fell in prisons in the West Midlands
over the most recent quarter.</p><p>Statistics for the 12 months to June, and particularly
those for the April to June quarter, relate to the exceptional period since the start
of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restricted regimes prisons put in place in order
to safely manage the risks of infection during the pandemic. This affects the comparability
of the statistics with earlier periods.</p><p>With a small number of tragic exceptions,
the decisive action we took at the beginning of the pandemic has meant tens of thousands
of officers and prisoners have been kept safe in the face of perhaps the greatest
challenge ever to face the service.</p><p>We are under no illusions about the impact
of the measures which were put in place to protect lives and we have made prisoners’
wellbeing our priority. We’ve enabled continued family contact through more than 1,500
secure mobile phones and secure video calls and provided a range of in-cell activities
to mitigate the impact of isolation. We continue to work closely with the Samaritans
who are providing support for Listeners - selected prisoners trained to provide emotional
support to their fellow prisoners and who continue to offer their phone service for
emotional support.</p><p>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
and phone-blocking technology. We are giving officers tools like PAVA pepper spray
and body-worn cameras to make their jobs safer.</p><p>We recognise the need to remain
vigilant to the risks to prisoners and staff as impacts of the virus continue.</p>
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