In 1966, Lord Mountbatten as requested by the then Labour Government reported on prison security, after the embarrassing escape of the convicted spy George Blake.
Among the background documentation that went into the final report was a memorandum by Richard Lewis, the assistant director on prison security, kept at the National Archives in file HO 278/15. Since his appointment, Lewis wrote, he had made โthe utmost useโ of Scotland Yardโs criminal intelligence branch, for the exchange of information about security risk prisoners. The branch kept up with professional criminals and gangs. Lewis wrote: โThe ferreting is in the hands of well-trained young officers usually of detective sergeant rank.โ The Metropolitan Police quickly exchanged info with local police for the main security prisons: Durham, Leicester, and Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. The prison service did not have an intelligence counterpart, for โthe gleaning of ordinary information circulating at a lower plane which at times needs to be prised out from a hidden source by someone able and experienced enough at prison officer level to fully understand prisoners, prison systems and routineโ.
Prison security matters, Lewis went on, were raised by letter to head office or telephoned to an official. In serious cases, a prison called in police. Governors often feared to push to investigate in their prisons, in Lewisโ view; he saw โa serious wide gapโ between the prison and head office in the day to day exchange and circulation of information โฆ. which would be worked up, coupled with information in the possession of police, to provide grounds for action in the interests of securityโ.
Lewis recommended a small force of four to six prison officers at head office, to work on security intelligence and to liaise with police and experts to assist police. As for use of dogs for security, which was being considered, Lewis only suggested โthat a reliable firm like Securicor could either assist in training or by contract supply dog patrols which may be cheaper than a scheme of our ownโ.
Lewis described the transfer of prisoners from place to place as โa major problemโ. He wanted clearly coloured and marked vans, and a stop to using private vehicles to save embarrassment of prisoners, because โassociates of criminals will always know which vehicles contain their friends if a rescue attempt is intendedโ. Police, and traffic generally, would be able to recognise prison transport. Lewis recommended ceasing transport of prisoners in their civilian clothes. Prisons should have at least one clearly marked vehicle for emergency use, rather than calling a taxi. Lewis warned of a growing tendency for prisoners to engineer their appearance at court, either for a โday out or other frivolous reasonโ; and as a good opportunity of an escape plot, as in a recent case of a coach at Parkhurst. Lewis saw great danger of an officer through mismanagement of his private affairs becoming vulnerable to offers of financial assistance from dangerous sources apart from threats of direct bribery. Lewis suggested an official fund for governors to give โtemporary advancesโ for example to young, married officers.
Photo by Mark Rowe: prison wall.
