The United Kingdom will use up to 400 police cells to house prisoners in England and Wales, UK Minister of State for Justice Damian Hinds said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The United Kingdom will use up to 400 police cells to house prisoners in England and Wales, UK Minister of State for Justice Damian Hinds said on Wednesday.
"I'm announcing today that we've written to the National Police Chiefs Council to request the temporary use of up to 400 police cells through an established protocol known as Operation Safeguard," the minister said, as quoted by the Independent newspaper.
Hinds added that the measure is necessitated by an increase in the number of inmates being held in detention before trial or sentencing.
According to the media, in November there were 82,839 inmates in prisons across England and Wales, compared to 79,685 in November 2021.
