HC Deb 06 March 1997 vol 291 cc694-5W
Mr. George Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures should occur in the event of an alarmed dispersal prison perimeter fence being activated; what safeguards are in place to ensure the effective implementation of these procedures; and in what circumstances these procedures or safeguards would not occur. [16860]

Miss Widdecombe

The procedures to be followed in the event of a perimeter fence alarm being activated in a dispersal prison are set out in local operational orders drawn up by the governor and in local contingency plans agreed with the director of dispersal prisons. Perimeter fence alarms are required to be tested daily, and the procedures should be regularly reviewed and tested by means of exercises based on the contingency plans. These arrangements are aimed at ensuring that effective procedures are in place and it is not possible to foresee the circumstances in which they would not be followed.

Mr. Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards are in place to ensure that desensitised alarms on dispersal prison perimeter fences remain sensitive enough to detect wires being cut. [16859]

Miss Widdecombe

The requirements for the operation and testing of perimeter fence alarm systems are set out in the Prison Service's security systems operation and testing manual. Such alarm systems are required to be tested daily with a spring-loaded instrument which imparts a pre-determined impact onto the wire mesh fence. This impact must be registered on the alarm monitoring system. The sensitivity of the alarm must not be reduced below this level.

Mr. Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues as to the circumstances which should cause dispersal prison(a)perimeter fences alarms to be turned off and (b) perimeter fences to be desensitised. [16857]

Miss Widdecombe

There should be no occasion when the perimeter fence alarm in a dispersal prison is turned off. A perimeter fence alarm can be modulated according to environmental conditions, for example, to prevent very high winds causing repeated false alarms.