Prisoners moved in crackdown on drugs

TWENTY inmates at a prison in Dorset were moved to other jails yesterday in a major crackdown on drug dealing.

Dog handlers patrolled the perimeter fence and 100 prison officers were drafted in for the operation at the Verne Prison in Portland. The Prison Service said it was aimed at changing 'the mix of prisoners in the prison'.

But prison officers said it indicated a breakdown of law and order and claimed that the governor was about to lose control of gang rivalry which had been brewing between Welsh and black groups in the jail for the past fortnight.

Derek Lewis, director-general of the Prison Service, said: 'The governor and the operational team were faced with a difficult situation and they responded in a professional way, with skill and care.

'The majority of prisoners at the Verne are today wanting to get back to work and a normal life as quickly as possible.

'Drugs are a problem in prisons just as they are elsewhere in society, and it is one which requires constant vigilance. Over the course of the next few days the mood will be closely watched.'

A spokesman at the category C prison said the operation had been a peaceful one, with prisoners co-operating.

But John Bartell, chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, said: 'Our information is that this has been building up over the last 14 days and the governor felt he was about to lose control of his prison and brought in the riot squads.'

The Verne held about 500 prisoners - 100 of them lifers - in low security conditions where, at times, there were as few as 17 staff on duty, he said.

A spokeswoman at the Prison Service would not comment on the allegation that the governor had been in danger of losing control of his prison.