Violence against prison guards in Denmark on the rise

Prisons are calling for more manpower and politicians are promising to tighten penalties

Lucie Rychla

Violence against prison officers in Denmark is on the rise and politicians are calling for tighter penalties.

Yesterday’s attack against a prison guard outside Nyborg state prison on Funen, who was shot multiple times in the leg, has just added more fuel to the fire.

In the first half of 2016, some 274 violent and threat incidents against prison guards have been recorded, which is a 34-percent increase compared with the same period last year.

READ MORE: New measures to combat forbidden phones in Danish prisons

Searching for mobile phones
“My people are paying the price for stricter rules and harder pressure against gangs,” Kim Østerbye, the chairman of the Danish Prison Association, told DR.

“The extreme hunt for mobile phones with daily searches of prison cells inevitably increases frustration among inmates and leads to more resistance to the staff.”

Østerbye has called for more manpower to prevent violent attacks in the future or to manage them more efficiently.

In May, the blue bloc presented a new ‘respect package’ that raises punishments for people who attack public employees by one-third.

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