UK prisons are hiring officers from Nigeria, leading to some sleeping in cars due to lack of accommodation
Nottingham: So, it turns out UK jails are bringing in prison officers from Nigeria and other places to fill gaps. Some of these new recruits are even sleeping in their cars or camping out because they can’t find a place to stay.
This is the first time the prison service is sponsoring skilled worker visas for folks from abroad. They changed the rules recently, which opened the door for overseas workers.
Many of these new officers are coming from Nigeria, and some are even switching from other visa types. But here’s the kicker: some of them showed up on their first day thinking they’d get a place to live with their job, only to find out that wasn’t the case.
Mark Fairhurst, the head of the Prison Officers Association, shared a story about one guy who was driving 70 miles from Huddersfield to Nottingham for work. Eventually, he figured it was cheaper to just sleep in his car outside the prison instead.
In another case, some foreign recruits ended up camping in a wooded area near the prison after realizing there was no accommodation provided. It’s a bit of a mess, really.
Mark mentioned that they often see people arriving with their families, asking staff, “Where’s the accommodation?” It’s a tough situation for everyone involved.
The recruitment push comes after the visa rules changed in October 2023, allowing prison officers to be on the list of skilled workers eligible for sponsorship. So far, around 250 foreign nationals have been sponsored after going through interviews and vetting.
Prison governors think there are even more applicants out there, especially since a lot of them are coming from Africa. In one month last year, two-thirds of the 3,500 applicants were from the continent.
Tom Wheatley, who leads the Prison Governors Association, said this trend seems to be spreading through word of mouth, especially in the Nigerian expat community online.
However, this has created some challenges in certain prisons, where there are a lot of foreign staff. In rural areas, it’s been tough for them to fit in with the local community, and there have been some language barriers too.
A spokesperson for the Prison Service said that the changes made in October 2023 allowed them to sponsor visa applications for foreign workers. They also emphasized that all staff, no matter where they come from, go through thorough assessments and training before working in prisons.
But Fairhurst raised concerns about the hiring process, especially with interviews being done over Zoom. He believes it’s not enough and that recruits only get six weeks of training, which isn’t sufficient for managing prisoners.
He called the current process “not fit for purpose,” and it’s no wonder that some under-qualified officers are getting hired. Last year, a record number of 165 prison staff were fired for misconduct, which is a 34% increase from the year before.
Just this month, a former officer from HMP Wandsworth was sentenced to 15 months in jail for being caught on camera with an inmate. The prison service insists they have strong assessments and training in place, but it seems there’s still a lot to work on.
