Officers quell jail disturbance

Prison officers 'quickly dealt with' Maghaberry disturbance

Loyalist prisoners have tried to snatch keys from officers during an incident at a County Antrim jail.

It is understood the prisoners tried to take control of the block at Bann House in Maghaberry prison on Thursday.

They were objecting to moves to transfer 12 loyalist prisoners to Magilligan jail as part of the implementation of a report on safety at the prison.

The situation was brought under control by four prison officers, and no-one was injured.

Prison officers' union spokesman Finlay Spratt said the disturbance was dealt with quickly.

However, the Ulster Political Research group, which speaks on behalf of the loyalist paramilitary UDA, said prisoners at Maghaberry did not try to take control of part of the jail during the disturbance.

Segregation demands

UPRG spokesman Davy Nicholl blamed prison management for the trouble.

"They suddenly walked in this morning to Bann House and selected a number of prisoners to be relocated immediately to Magilligan prison," he said.

"None of the prisoners had been informed about that, none of their relatives had been informed. Hence the prisoners' protest."

The trouble followed a spate of incidents linked to demands to segregate loyalist and republican prisoners.

A safety report, commissioned by Secretary of State Paul Murphy, was carried out by John Steele, the former controller of prisons and a former director of security policy at the Northern Ireland Office.

It recommended separating republican and loyalist prisoners, but ruled out the type of segregation which led to years of paramilitary dominance on the wings of the now-closed Maze Prison.

The report followed recent protests inside the jail and violent clashes between republican and loyalist inmates at the prison who want to be housed in separate wings.

Five dissident republican prisoners have also taken part in a "dirty protest" in the jail.