§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the Prison Service GOLD Incident Command suite has been opened in each month since April 2003; and what the nature was of each incident. [181510]
§ Paul GogginsThe Prison Service Gold Command suite opened on 40 occasions between 1 April 2003 and 28 June 2004. The suite was opened on 24 occasions to manage hostage incidents, on nine occasions to manage incidents of concerted indiscipline and on seven occasions to manage at height/roof climb incidents.
An incident is classified as a concerted indiscipline when a number of prisoners collectively refuse to comply with a lawful order or involve themselves in disruption of an establishment's normal regime. Hostage incidents ate when a prisoner or prisoners take another prisoner, or on occasion a member of staff, hostage. At height incidents usually involve a prisoner or prisoners getting onto a roof but can be other climbs. A barricade incident is when a prisoner barricades his cell or another area to prevent staff access.