Five police officers from Market Drayton have been commended for their work investigating a riot at Stoke Heath’s young offenders’ institution.
Detective Inspector Graham Edwards, Detective Sergeant Antony Skelding, Detective Sergeant Darren Capener, Constable Mark Hobden and Detective Constable Sarah Matthews have all been commended for their work in an incident which took place in October 2006.
More than £250,000 worth of damage was caused during the incident at Stoke Heath, on one of the wings housing 70 trainees between the ages of 15 and 18.
A food fight broke out in the dining hall and as staff moved in to stop the disturbance, a fight broke out among the trainees .
“From this point on, violence erupted and all five members of staff were assaulted to some degree,” said Detective Chief Inspector Gary Higgins, who recommended the five officers for commendations.
DCI Higgins said the five prison officers in the dining room were unable to contain the violence and called for assistance from other wings. The trainees started to destroy the dining area and the staff were forced to withdraw.
“The prison officers then placed shields against the dining room doors but such was the level of violence, they eventually had to retreat even further, locking the wing down behind them.”
Thirty-three trainees remained on the wing where they were contained for more than six hours. The whole of the ground floor was under four inches of water, every window had been smashed, as had all the furniture, toilets and showers. Filing cabinets had been forced open and prison records set on fire.
The commendations went to Detective Inspector Graham Edwards and Detective Sergeant Antony Skelding for their “detective ability, professionalism and the thoroughness of investigation”; to Detective Sergeant Darren Capener for his “supervisory skills, professionalism and thoroughness of investigation”; to Constable Mark Hobden for his “dedication, commitment and professionalism as disclosure officer”; and to Detective Constable Sarah Matthews for her “dedication, professionalism and thoroughness of investigation as inquiry officer.”
Governor at Stoke Heath young offenders’ institution, Teresa Clarke said: “We are extremely grateful for the assistance and co-operation we received from the Police during and after this incident.
“We understand this was a long and arduous task for the investigating officers, who acted with thoroughness and professionalism at all times.
“I would also like to thank them for the support and guidance they offered our staff during this process.”
