Increasing incidents threaten prison guard safety in Iceland

Serious incidents threatening prison guard safety are on the rise. The chairman of the Icelandic Prison Guards Association stated that the number of severe incidents posing risks to guards is increasing. On Friday, three guards were hospitalized following an altercation with an inmate at the Litla-Hraun facility.

An inmate unexpectedly attacked a guard, resulting in injuries that necessitated medical attention for the three affected guards. Heidar Smith, the association’s chairman, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation but did not provide further details about the incident. According to him, the guards are coping well under the circumstances.

“When such incidents occur, it is essential to evaluate each case and determine what could have been done better and how procedures are managed,” Heidar noted. Despite the incident, he believes that prison guards generally feel secure in their roles. However, he expressed concern over the increasing frequency of such serious events, stressing the need for a closer examination of operational procedures.

“I feel that these occurrences are becoming more common, and such serious incidents have indeed been taking place a lot lately. There needs to be a serious discussion to review procedures and see if measures could be implemented to prevent this from happening,” he added.