THE partner of a Dartmoor Prison officer has complained about the way staff have been treated over the ongoing ‘temporary’ closure of the prison at Princetown.
The prison has been closed since last summer due to high level of potentially lung cancer-causing radon gas.
Yet it has now emerged that the authorities had known about high levels of radon for years.
The prison officer’s partner said this has led to officers fearing for their health after possible years’ of exposure. Also, no cohesive strategy had been put in place to redeploy staff when the decision was made to shift out the last prisoners in July last year. Officers were deployed at short notice to alternative units – causing stress and depression.
She claims staff have been told for years the radon levels were ‘fine’ and readings reset to zero annually: “This is scary. Staff are struggling with mental health because of how they are now treated – the realise they could already be dying from the contamination and it is now too late.”
After Dartmoor’s closure, she claimed officers were bused out to other prisons temporarily not knowing where they were going from day to day and her partner was offered work in southeast England: “This is soul-destroying to the point where he is ready to walk and lose all he has worked for.”
The Prison Officers’ Association has also been critical of the impact both the lack of direction on the radon situation and the prison’s closure had had on staff.
Sarah Rigby, from the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) South West, said: “Staff at Dartmoor have been through a very difficult couple of years. They have been forced to relocate because of radon exposure at Dartmoor. Not only do they face health concerns, but some are making significant journeys to work.
“Could this have been avoided if mitigation action had been taken sooner on radon levels to reduce them to acceptable levels?”
She said the ongoing Health and Safety Executive radon probe should reassure staff they will not be placed in this position again but that experienced staff have been lost. They had resigned or reported sick on mental health grounds, saying the Prison Service had not given any ‘workable’ alternatives.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “After close monitoring of the situation at HMP Dartmoor, the prison has been temporarily closed. We continue to take advice from specialists to explore how it can be reopened as quickly as possible.
“We continue to work closely with our hardworking staff and unions throughout this process. We transferred prisoners to other establishments.”
Sir Geoffrey Cox, Tavistock and Torridge MP, said: “I am concerned about the circumstances in which Dartmoor Prison has been temporarily closed and its implication on prison staff. I have been in touch with staff and will be meeting some.
“It’s bound to be a time of uncertainty and upheaval for long-standing staff and I’m keen to understand the impact on them of this sudden temporary closure.”