In a shocking revelation, it appears that UK gangs are sending members to train as prison guards to help bolster their smuggling operations within the UK prison system. The POA (the union that represents prison workers) has claimed that there are a number of contributing factors that have led to this becoming a reality.
Most notably, the low pay offered to prison workers and also the fact that the hiring age has been reduced considerably over the years. In the late 80s, the age was lowered from 25 to 20 and then at the turn of the millennium it was dropped even further to just 18 years old in an attempt to drive recruitment up. Naturally younger people maybe more likely to be drawn into circumstances where they can be lead astray, and now the fact that the training program has been shorted from ten weeks to seven, its even easier for gangs to get people legitimate jobs in the prison system.
Blighted with a lack of staff, poor recruitment protocol and the high earning potential for people willing to bend the rules, it seems to have become a real epidemic within British prisons. In an effort to combat this, better wages have been promised as well as eventually phasing out online interviews entirely, and bringing back in person interview panels, so recruiters can get a better read of the people they’re hiring.