Prison guards routinely fail to capture evidence of beatings, abuse and harassment of inmates by switching off cameras, watchdog warns

'Aggressive' officers have been accused of leaving prisoners with black eyes, cuts, and damaged teeth, the prisons watchdog has revealed.The Prisons & Probation Ombudsman laid bare the 'concerning' lack of evidence when prisoners lodged complaints of abuse by staff. One inmate required an X-ray, and blood was also found on his cell floor and sink, after he claimed a group of guards attacked him.And in several incidents, including one where a prisoner was allegedly 'jumped' on by an officer and a sink was broken, body-worn footage was 'accidentally' switched off.More than a third of 143 staff - partially or fully upheld - behaviour complaints were negatively impacted by a 'lack of evidence provided by prisons'.In 64 per cent of incidents, jails did not provide the PPO with CCTV because they did not keep or download it.And in almost half of incidents, body-worn footage was also not handed over by prisons after inmates made complaints about abuse, harassment or staff behaviour.Adrian Usher, the Prisons Ombudsman, described the repeated 'lack of available evidence', poor internal investigations and staff professionalism as 'concerning'.Numerous inmates claimed guards had been 'aggressive' towards them, with some incidents resulting in black eyes, cuts, and the loss of teeth.One inmate, known as Mr B, said he was attacked by a group of officers after banging a chair against his cell door.Footage, which was 'accidentally turned on and off' three times by an officer, showed the custodial manager call Mr B a 'c***'. A file image of a young imate on a prison wing in Portland Young Offenders Institution, Portland, Dorset, United KingdomAnd while little could be seen in the video, the prisoner could be heard pleading with staff to 'let go of my arm'.The prisoner was left with two black eyes, a cut beneath one and had to have an X-ray of his face for injuries. Blood was found on the floor and around the sink of Mr B's cell.All staff involved denied restraining or assaulting Mr B, with all but one having their body cameras switched off.There was not enough 'clear evidence' to indicate if they were responsible; however, the lack of bodycam video cast 'suspicion on staff involved'.A 19-year-old prisoner also alleged he had been assaulted during a strip search, resulting in him losing a tooth, which was later replaced with a denture.Bodycam footage was accidentally turned as the inmate, known as MR D, was being restrained, but the lens was largely obscured.While the officer could not be seen, he was still heard telling Mr D: 'How f***ing difficult was that, mate. You stupid, stupid boy.'Medical records and Nomis case notes said force had been initiated due to non-compliance, with restraint later being used due to the inmate's aggression.However, a probe found the prison guard's language was 'not conducive to de-escalation' and did not reflect the standards of professionalism expected.Another prisoner, referred to as Mr C, claimed PAVA spray was used against him as he tried to seek healthcare.While he complied with officers' de-escalation measures to get on one knee, the inmate claimed the spray was deployed by two officers anyway.But when a complaint was raised three months later, the video had not been kept despite the minimum statutory period for keeping such evidence being 90 days.One prisoner, referred to as Mr A, claimed an officer 'jumped on him' and broke a sink after he refused to get off his bed and leave the cell.CCTV showed the officer enter on three separate occasions, with water emerging from beneath the second time - coinciding with the prisoner's testimony.No body cameras were switched on, as the guard said Mr A's behaviour was 'not aggressive' but later justified his use of force by insisting the opposite.The watchdog has since called for 'greater consequences for staff and prisons for such failures'. In its recent report, the watchdog found there were 'still too many examples of poor practice' with limited evidence to justify force used in nearly half of incidents.Procedural failures were found in more than half of complaints, with no evidence the prison spoke with staff complained about in almost a third of cases.Common issues with professionalism included inappropriate language towards prisoners, failures to follow procedures and poor de-escalation attempts.Key records and documents were not reviewed by prisons in 18 per cent of investigations into complaints.Almost half of statements were not completed on time, with staff required to record incidents within 24 hours, and a complete staff statement to be done by 72 hours.Meanwhile, 58 per cent of 113 reviewed complaints found staff conduct fell below expected professional standards and policy requirements.And in a third of 47 use-of-force cases, de-escalation attempts were not adequate.It comes after the HM Inspectorate of Prisons said there were 'still too many examples of poor practice' in relation to use of force in male prisons.Its chief inspector also said there was poor use of BWVCs in nearly half their inspections, which limited the evidence available to justify the use of force in its most recent report.Andrea Coomber KC, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: 'Prisons are a largely hidden world. Most people never set foot in one, and have little idea of what really goes on.'This is why it is so important that contentious incidents are recorded properly and the ombudsman is provided with all the evidence needed to conduct thorough investigations.'The complaints highlighted in this bulletin are just two of the worrying cases that we have heard through our advice line for children and young people in custody.Our prison members also regularly raise concerns about staff behaviour. How many more people in prison are being abused and assaulted by staff while the cameras are switched off?'Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, said: 'It is clear that greater independent oversight of staff conduct is needed, and it is my hope that this learning prompts Governors and prison staff to reflect on conduct within their prisons.''Prison officers operate in challenging environments and are routinely required to manage conflict and difficult situations. However, professionalism and appropriate staff conduct are crucial to ensuring safe prisons and to building better staff-prisoner relationships'Shadow Justice Minister, Nick TImothy, said: 'Prison staff do an essential job in difficult conditions, and they have been left to pick up the pieces of Labour's chaotic early release scheme.'The findings of this report are concerning and should be addressed. Labour should ensure there is accountability across the justice system.A HMPPS spokesperson said: 'The overwhelming majority of our staff are hardworking and honest, but bullying, violence or abuse of prisoners is completely unacceptable.'We take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and do not hesitate to take disciplinary action, including dismissal, where staff fall below the high standards expected of them.'We will carefully consider the Ombudsman's findings and take action to ensure complaints are properly investigated and lessons are learned.'