The number of attacks on prison officers in Northern Ireland has trebled in recent years, the Stormont Assembly heard.
Justice Minister Naomi Long linked the rise in attacks with the rising prisoner population.
The most recent figures from the Department of Justice said the overall average daily prison population increased by 11.4% during 2023/24 to 1,877.
Speaking during questions for her department in the Assembly on Monday, Ms Long told MLAs that there were 32 assaults on prison staff in 2020, 71 in 2021, 66 in 2022, 59 in 2023 and 96 in 2024.
Ms Long said a higher prisoner population and crowding are the most significant factors contributing to prison instability, incidents and violence.
“Any assault on a prison officer is unacceptable and the prison service continues to maintain a clear focus on the safety of staff and establishments,” she told MLAs.
“In addition to support services available to all civil servants and in recognition of the front line challenging role of prison officers, the Northern Ireland Prison Service provides additional support to officers through the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.”
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley expressed alarm at the trebling of the number of assaults, and said every attack on a prison officer is “beyond comprehension and should be condemned”.
“But to treble the number of attacks in four years is quite astonishing,” he said, and asked the minister for her assessment of whether enough staff are being recruited.
Ms Long responded saying the years of lower numbers of attacks, such as in 2020, correlates with lower prisoner populations.
She said: “To compare what happened this year with that year when we are now at our largest ever prison population, I think, is an unjust comparison. Last year it was 59, the year before 66, it goes up and down each time, but what we do know is the size of the population will directly impact on the level of volatility within the prisons.”
