Prison officers at HMP Leeds to benefit from body armour and tasers trial in bid to tackle violence

An inspection report published last week (Tuesday, October 21), by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons, raised concerns about the number of self-inflicted deaths at Leeds prison in Armley, plus rising drug use and violence among inmates.

As a result of these rising issues, HMP Leeds is set to be included as part of a £15 million national funding package, which will see the number of protective body, also known as stab proof vests, available for frontline prison officers increase from 750 to up to 10,000, across the country.

This investment will also see up to 500 prison officers trained up to use tasers, significantly scaling up the initial trial announced this summer. These officers will from part of specifically trained national units deployed to high-risk scenarios at UK prisons.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said: “While some staff demonstrated care and professionalism, others were disengaged or unhelpful. One-to-one work with prisoners had stalled, with fewer than 3 per cent of planned sessions delivered in the previous six months, and far too little had been done to tackle the very high levels of homelessness on release.

“Leeds has to cope with a high churn of prisoners with complex and challenging needs. The governor had set out priorities in consultation with staff and prisoners, and there was investment in leadership development and staff training.

“However, many of the concerns raised at our last inspection remained unaddressed and immediate action is required. Leaders must make sure that the needs of the most vulnerable prisoners are placed at the heart of this work to end the unacceptable numbers of suicides at the prison.”

Inspectors found a combination of mental health need and inadequate day-to-day support for those at risk of self-harm was placing vulnerable prisoners at risk and was described as a “serious threat to safety” at HMP Leeds. 16 inmates have taken their own lives at HMP Leeds in the past five years.

Illicit drug use and availability was also said to be a major problem. Leeds was found to have the highest number of drug equipment finds and the second highest for drug finds among reception prisons. 37 per cent of surveyed prisoners said they had a drug or alcohol problem and 18 per cent said they had developed one inside.

Meanwhile, figures obtained by Legal Expert, revealed that in 2024/25, Leeds prison recorded 311 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, up from 144 assaults five years earlier. The number of assaults on staff at the prison has risen from 95 in 2020/21 to 109 in 2024/25.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons - with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high.

“The Government has made it clear it will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff – which is why we are trialling tasers in prisons and mandated protective body armour for prison officers working with the most dangerous offenders.

“But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we’re also reforming our jails so they create better citizens, not better criminals.”

Once triggered, the issued tasers will generate 1,500 volts of electricity to incapacitate an attacker instantly. The same model is already used widely by police forces across the country and will be deployed in high-risk scenarios in jails where there is a significant threat to safety.

The £15 million investment, which comes on top of a previous £40 million Government investment was announced in September and follows the attack on three officers at HMP Frankland in April, when Hashem Abedi, the Manchester Arena suicide bomber's brother, threw hot cooking oil and stabbed three prison officers with improvised blades.

HMP Leeds is the second-most overcrowded prison in England behind HMP Durham. It currently holds 1,088 inmates, despite only housing regular capacity for 641 men. Staff are understood to be working to reduce the violence and challenge those who perpetrate through the use of adjudications, incentives, and formal investigations where relevant.