Union says staff car fires 'not unusual' after HMP Kilmarnock blaze
Nobody was hurt but the cars suffered extensive damage.
A union representing prison officers at HMP Kilmarnock says they deserve to feel safe going to and from work.
It comes after six staff vehicles were set alight outside Bowhouse jail around 7.25pm on Friday night. Nobody was hurt, but the cars were badly damaged.
Stevie Farrell, Regional Secretary of the Community Union says, “It’s not unusual to happen in a prison car park. Throughout the years, it’s just something that we’re very used to in terms of representing prison officers for as long as we have done.
“You never want to see colleagues’ cars on the receiving end of it. But being a prison officer, it does come with risk. It’s like very few other jobs and our members realise and understand that, to their credit. It is the nature of the beast sometimes when you become a prison officer.
“The most important thing is that necessary investigations are done in relation to this incident, we find out as much as we possibly can and hopefully bring the culprits to some sort of recourse.
“We’ve just got to make sure that our staff group feel safe.
“In terms of additional security, that is something that any investigation will throw up if there is a requirement for that.
“We want staff to be safe coming to their work so any deterrents that can be put in place, the union will be whole heartedly behind that.”
Police continue to investigate and were looking for a dark coloured car seen driving away from the car park after the fires were started. Patrols have been increased and Detective Inspector Ewan Bell said: “I’m sure someone will have seen or noticed this dark coloured car as it sped off from the prison car park.
“All of the cars involved have been extensively damaged and I am appealing to people who were in the area around the time of the incident to contact us.
“Also, I would appeal to any motorists to check their dash cam footage as it may have captured an image which could assist us in our enquiries.”
Craig Thomson, Serco prison director at HMP Kilmarnock, said: “We are working closely with the police to help them find the people who carried out this attack and have provided them with CCTV footage.''
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