Prison bosses are set to privatise guard duties at Ulster's powderkeg
Maghaberry prison, The People can reveal.
Prisons minister John Spellar will leave the security of some of Northern
Ireland's worst killers in the hands of £5-an-hour civilians.
The Government is claiming it needs extra prison staff to guard
newly-formed Maze-style loyalist and republican wings.
They want civilians to take on front gate security, searching of visitors
and the movement of
prisoners around the jail.
Two security firms - in Co Derry and Co Antrim - want to take on the work.
A senior prison insider admitted: "This is crazy. Privatisation is the
wrong way to go when you have some of western Europe's worst criminals
locked up here.
"This could be another attempt to rile prison staff - and privatise the
entire place. It's madness.
"Wardens have suffered months and months of intimidation at the hands of
paramilitaries.
"The private staff can expect the same." POA boss Finlay Spratt last night (Saturday)
condemned the move and warned:
"Untrained staff will fail to prevent guns and drugs getting into jails."
Meanwhile, jailed UDA leader Andre Shoukri is ready to take over the
loyalist wing of the prison, once he is
released from solitary confinement.
