Undercover reporter reveals lax prison security

A reporter who secured a job as a temporary prison worker claims he was not fully vetted for the role and was able to enter the jail without being properly searched.

Times journalist Paul Morgan-Bentley was hired in February, external as a prison contractor escort at HMP Bedford.

He told the BBC he had “absolutely no doubt" he could have smuggled things into the prison.

The Justice Secretary is seeking "urgent clarification" on prison security, and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the government had invested £100m in “tough new controls”.

The category B prison, which can hold about 400 inmates, has a history of problems, including riots in 2016.

Mr Morgan-Bentley got the job, commonly known as an operational support grade (OSG) escort, through an agency.

“I had keys that allowed me throughout the prison grounds," he said.

"My job was escorting building contractors, bringing me within inches of prisoners."

He said he used his real name and details to apply, adding: “I didn’t try to conceal who I was. That was part of the process: to check the vetting process, as there are real concerns about it.

“It was very quick: I applied and less than three weeks later, I was in the prison for my first day.”

According to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) OSG escorts are subject to an abridged vetting process, including a check to make sure they have no criminal record

They are not given keys for cell doors.

In his eight days at HMP Bedford, Mr Morgan-Bentley said there were two days when security equipment at the jail's entrance was unstaffed, and on other days staff had not been properly trained in how to use the equipment.

“For two of my shifts, there was no one on the security scanners at the front," he said.

"I walk in and flash my ID at someone behind the screen. There are airport-style security scanners with trays, but no one’s taking off their belongings because the scanners are off.

“I walk through the arch shaped scanner - which beeps - but no one is there to stop me, so I keep on going. I’m allowed through, I get my keys, and later in the day I’m within inches of prisoners.

“There is no doubt that I could have brought in anything.”

The MoJ did acknowledge that the airport-style security was sometimes unstaffed, but said: “We deliberately do not set out when it will be in operation in order to provide regular spot checks.

"However, in February it was used 91% of the time at HMP Bedford."

A spokesperson for the MoJ said: "This reporter was employed briefly as a temporary agency worker at HMP Bedford with restricted access and duties limited to escorting prison contractors, but the Lord Chancellor is seeking urgent clarification from the Prison Service that the vetting process for such workers is appropriate."

While Mr Morgan-Bentley was working at HMP Bedford, the facility was the subject of a damning inspection report from the prisons watchdog.

Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said the "filthy" conditions at HMP Bedford were some of the worst he had seen, amid warnings that levels of violence remained "very high", with the number of assaults on staff "among the highest in the country".

It was put into emergency measures following the inspection and the MoJ said improvements were already under way.

Labour's shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood demanded "urgent reassurance" from ministers on how they would "fix these appalling breaches of security".

She said: "This is an absolutely shocking report.

"The Conservatives' failure to keep prisons secure is a threat to security and is putting the public at risk.

"Rushed vetting for recruits and no-one manning security scanners are particularly outrageous in a prison that could be housing murderers and rapists."

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