Desperate prisons are recruiting guards from abroad despite them having little or no English, unions have warned.
Employing overseas workers could create ‘communication problems’ in some prisons, and could cause division, they said.
Following reports that prison officers brought in from other countries have been forced to stay outside prisons or live in their vehicles due to lack of housing, this issue has come to light.
Since 2023, jails have been forced to recruit overseas officers to make up places, with the majority coming from Nigeria.
The sector has long been under pressure, with ministers freeing prisoners early as part of an emergency measure to ease overcrowding in jails.
To cope with staffing shortages, jails have been forced to recruit prison officers from overseas, sponsoring skilled worker visas.
Now it has emerged that some of those being recruited are unable to speak English, The House magazine has revealed.
According to Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), which represents prison officers, foreign recruits are facing difficulties due to language barriers.
Prisons are employing guards with little or no English in a bid to fill places amid staffing shortages, unions have warned (file photo)
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) mentioned that they support foreign nationals recruited as officers but did not disclose the exact number out of the total 23,273 prison officers employed.
‘We have reports, and this is confirmed by prison governors, that some overseas recruits struggle to, or simply cannot, speak English,’ he said.
Jail governors do not interview their prison officers, a process that is carried out through a centralised system without in-person, face-to-face interviews, often using Zoom or Microsoft Teams and online assessments, he revealed.
He said this practice was ‘simply not fit for purpose’ and warned that it could mean others sit tests for candidates to get them the job.
His words were echoed by the Prison Governors’ Association’s (PGA) Tom Wheatley, who said: ‘The scale of the levels of people from African, particularly Nigerian, origin, who are applying for jobs in the prison service, at the moment they are in the majority by a significant margin.’
The recruitment of overseas staff had created ‘communication problems’ in some prisons and could cause division where there are disproportionate numbers of foreign prison staff in remote rural areas, he told the magazine.
It meant, he added, that ‘you create some other issues that are about changing the environment around the prison, and you also potentially create issues in your workforce’.
Warning of competence issues, he added: ‘Some people are getting through the assessment, it appears, and then struggling significantly once they get into the operational role and they can’t do what we think the assessment tested that they could.’
It came after the POA warned that wardens recruited from countries such as Nigeria have turned up for work on their first day expecting to be handed living quarters with their job.
Since 2023 jails have turned to recruit overseas officers to make up places, with the majority coming from Nigeria (file photo)
Earlier this month, Mr Fairhurst told the Lords justice and home affairs committee: ‘I am hearing some horror stories… about recruits from overseas turning up at the gate with suitcases and family in tow asking, “Where’s my accommodation?”
‘We have had examples of overseas recruits sleeping in their cars. Apparently, a bunch of overseas recruits – because they have no accommodation – have set up camp in a wooded area opposite the prison where they are working.’
Mr Fairhurst also said another officer who was recruited remotely was later found to have cerebral palsy – meaning they could not lock or unlock cell doors, restrain prisoners or conduct rub-down searches.
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) said it sponsored foreign nationals but would not say how many of its 23,273 prison officers were from overseas.
It is believed 250 foreign nationals have been sponsored to work in jails following digital interviews – and up to two-thirds of applicants have been from Africa.
The jobs, which include coveted skilled worker visas, have been promoted online by the Nigerian expat community.
A spokesman told The House: ‘In October 2023, changes were made to the skilled worker visa scheme which has allowed the prison service to sponsor visa applications for foreign nationals.
‘All staff – regardless of nationality – undergo robust assessments and training before they work in prisons. Our strengthened vetting process roots out those who fall below our high standards.’
