Jersey prison staffing levels fall below that recommended

Jersey's prison governor said despite the drop in staffing people were not at risk

Staffing levels at La Moye prison in Jersey dropped below nationally recommended levels in 2011, according to the prison service annual report.

It showed the number of prison officers fell briefly to 11 below the approved number.

Prison governor, Bill Millar, said he had to reduce staffing levels to meet cuts he knew were coming in 2012.

He said: "What we won't do is put people at risk, whether it be staff or prisoners."

Mr Millar said he would also have to further reduce staff numbers this year to meet budget cuts in 2013.

The budget cuts are part of a wider States of Jersey spending review.

He said: "The decision I took last year was to allow the staffing numbers to drop in the knowledge the budget would only pay for fewer staff the following year and it is the same this year for 2012.

"We will run short of staff because we know we have to reduce our numbers in 2013 to live within the budget constraints. If it drops below a certain level we will have to stop activities."

Mr Millar said the staffing levels worked without compromising standards in the prison. He said this was achieved by juggling shift patterns.