HMP Frankland: Police officer stabbed in chest at maximum security prison

The male police officer was injured just after 11am on Tuesday.

He is said to be “conscious and talking” following the attack.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: “Shortly after 11am this morning, Durham Constabulary were called to an incident at HMP Frankland in Durham City.

“A police officer, who was visiting the facility from an outside force, suffered a stab wound to the chest during the incident.

“The injured officer has been taken to hospital by ambulance, where he is described as being ‘conscious and talking’.”

HMP Frankland is a category A men’s prison, the highest level of security.

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One recent analysis found dozens of people at the prison had been assaulted using improvised weapons.

The prison logs revealed that inmates had attacked guards, staff and other prisoners in the 12 months up to the end of January this year.

Bladed and improvised weapons were recorded to have made up around 140 assaults.

In one of the most serious attacks, a prisoner assaulted another inmate by hitting him over the head with a hammer in a workshop toilet.

Another incident, released by the Ministry of Justice, saw an inmate attacked with a thin piece of wood from the workshop.

HMP Frankland has housed some of the UK’s most notorious criminals over the years and is under pressure due to overcrowding and run-down facilities.

Under Keir Starmer’s Government, plans have been drawn up to ease overcrowded prisons by allowing some inmates to be released early.

Despite backlash from critics, the Prime Minister has so far brushed off concerns that the releases may unleash a crime wave across Britain.

Asked by GB News what he will do if they go on to re-offend, Starmer said: “Look, I can't build a prison in seven days with the best will in the world.

“It is clearly a problem left by the last Government. There's no issue about that.

“We cannot be in this terrible state. And they ignored the problem, didn't fix the problem. We are going to have to fix it.

“We don't have to make short-term measures and we will announce that in due course and then of course we'll have to do the further measures. But I simply can't build a prison in seven days. This is a terrible failure of government by the last Government.”