Prison officers attacked as drugs intercepted

A number of prison officers were yesterday assaulted by inmates at Cloverhill Prison, Dublin, after one of them attempted to confiscate a parcel of drugs which had been thrown over the prison wall into an exercise yard.

Around 80 inmates were in exercise yard A at the prison just after 2.30 p.m. when the drugs, which were intended for an inmate, were thrown over the wall. The package landed close to where one of the two prison officers on duty was standing. The officer moved in to confiscate the drugs and was set upon by a group of inmates.

His female colleague went to his assistance but was attacked. She was knocked to the ground and lost consciousness when her head struck the concrete as she fell. Both officers were punched and kicked during the attack and later received treatment for their injuries.

Four of the inmates involved in the incident were later taken to a secure wing of the prison. As they were being led away one punched an assistant chief prison officer.

Yesterday's events followed a number of incidents last November when drugs were thrown over the wall into an exercise yard at Cloverhill. On November 16th an officer was attacked when he tried to confiscate the drugs.

A spokesman for the Prison Officers' Association last night said it was concerned the safety of its members would be compromised as a result of a 50 per cent cut in the annual overtime budget available to staff at the State's prisons this year.

A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said while the female officer was taken to hospital, her colleague resumed duty after the incident. The prison service had "no knowledge" of a third officer having been assaulted during the incident.

The spokesman added one of the smaller yards at the prison had been covered with a net to prevent drugs being thrown over the walls to inmates. A contract had been awarded to a firm to carry out similar work on the bigger yards and this would go ahead in the near future when preparatory structural work was carried, he said.