Ireland

Two prisoners climb on to roof of Dublin jail in protest

Prisoners made their way on to the roof of Cloverhill prison in Dublin while others refused to leave an exercise yard during a protest
Prisoners made their way on to the roof of Cloverhill prison in Dublin while others refused to leave an exercise yard during a protest Prisoners made their way on to the roof of Cloverhill prison in Dublin while others refused to leave an exercise yard during a protest

TWO prisoners have climbed on to a jail roof as part of a protest.

The Irish Prison Service confirmed 10 inmates at Cloverhill in west Dublin were initially involved in the dispute by refusing to leave an exercise yard and return to their cells.

Another 50 prisoners remained outside during the stand-off but are not believed to be actively involved in the protest.

A spokesman for the service said two men scaled a wall to take the protest to the roof.

"The staff are managing the situation. Two guys have got up on the roof but there is no threat of escape," the spokesman said.

The exact reasons for the prison protest have not been revealed.

Cloverhill is part of the west Dublin prison campus which also incorporates Wheatfield and it is primarily used to house prisoners who are being held on remand.

The protest was taking place in the yard for the B division of Cloverhill.

Prisoners in the adjoining Wheatfield complex were understood to be in lock down as management made arrangements for additional staff to be brought across to the Cloverhill wings.

Meanwhile, the Irish Prison Service said 33 staff from its escort section are alleged to have turned up for duty without driving licences in a wildcat industrial action.

In a statement the authority said management were told that they had "forgotten" their documents disrupting transport for inmates to courts.

"The Irish Prison Service views this action as wildcat industrial action by individual staff which is in total contravention of all industrial relations practices and procedures. Such action represents a serious breach of discipline and will be dealt with under the appropriate disciplinary procedure," a spokesman said.

Escorts to the Criminal Courts Complex were delayed but the prison service insisted every prisoner who was due to attend court had arrived by 1.30pm or was en route.

It is understood the dispute follows attempts to introduce new rosters for the escort teams to meet changes to courts sittings.

The Irish Prison Service said it understood an agreement had been reached last week.