Prison union boss insists staff 'won't be scapegoated' after David Lammy blames human error for Epping sex offender release
Prison Officers' Association chief Mark Fairhurst described the pressure on prison staff as intolerable
The boss of a prison union has accused the Government of "scapegoating" its staff after David Lammy blamed human error on the release of migrant Hadush Kebatu.
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The justice secretary told MPs on Monday afternoon he had asked for an urgent review and insisted his party "must get to the bottom" of the saga.
In his Commons speech, the deputy Prime Minister said it was a human error by a prison officer which led to Kebatu mistakenly being released.
However, Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said his union will not accept any "scapegoating" from ministers.
Read more: Former prison officers 'baffled' at mistaken release of jailed Epping migrant
Reacting to Mr Lammy's statement, Mr Fairhurst said: "There is a severe lack of training for staff at all grades, an issue we have highlighted to HMPPS (Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) for at least a decade.
"The pressure on staff is intolerable, and this will inevitably lead to mistakes.
"These issues should have been addressed a long time ago, but as usual, our employer waits for a headline and then acts.
"Our main concern now is to support our members and co-operate with any investigation to ensure this is never repeated and staff are competent and confident in their roles."
He added the POA will 'fully support' its members involved in the incident.
Ethiopian national Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday at around 10:25am instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre.
The migrant, who had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, later travelled to London and was arrested on Saturday morning in Finsbury Park after a two-day manhunt.
Concerns were raised about his release to the duty governor and staff were dispatched to locate him shortly after 12pm.
Mr Lammy said: "I've been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable.
"We must get to the bottom of what happened and take immediate action to try and prevent similar releases in error to protect the public from harm.
"I instructed the CEO of HMPPS to carry out an urgent review to look at the checks that take place when a prisoner is released and identify immediate changes that can be made to the process in order to mitigate against the risks of release and error."