Prison and Youth Custody Centre Safety Debate
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Nick Smith
Main Page: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)Department Debates - View all Nick Smith's debates with the Ministry of Justice
Prison and Youth Custody Centre Safety
Nick Smith Excerpts(6 years, 9 months ago)
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Dr Lee
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. We have improved the seizure of drugs; the figure for the past 12 months is about 225 kg, which is up on the previous year. We have employed dogs to detect psychoactive substances, and we were the first jurisdiction in the world to introduce drug testing for psychoactive substances. We continue to develop that service as the substances evolve.
Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
I hope that the planned new youth custody service works, but will the Minister say how many new prison officers will join the existing service this year?
Dr Lee
No, I cannot give the hon. Gentleman an exact figure, but I will write to him with it. We are actively seeking to recruit in every single institution area, particularly in south-east England, where there are always challenges in recruiting prison staff. Perhaps more importantly, we are trying to recruit people who have a history of working with young people. Working with troubled young individuals is a difficult business, and we recognise that there may have been recruitment errors in the past. We want to recruit people who have the proper experience.