Elite anti-corruption squads are being deployed to British prisons to tackle a surge in female prison officers engaging in forbidden relationships with inmates. The Prison Officers' Association (POA) has confirmed that additional investigators are being assigned to combat the rise in illicit romances behind bars, following a series of high-profile arrests and convictions.
At least 45 female prison officers have been caught since 2021, averaging nearly ten per year, compared to just nine cases between 2017 and 2020. The POA is calling for improved screening processes after incidents including former OnlyFans model Linda de Sousa Abreu, who was jailed for performing a sex act on a prisoner at HMP Wandsworth, and Rebecca Pinckard, 46, who received a custodial sentence after being caught on her body-worn camera performing a sexual act on an inmate at HMP Highpoint.
Mick Pimblett, Assistant General Secretary of the POA, confirmed that additional personnel are being assigned to anti-corruption departments. A POA spokesperson said: 'The Prison Officers' Association condemns any form of misconduct or corruption within our ranks. Inadequate vetting undermines the integrity of the prison service and places staff, prisoners and the public at risk.'
Dr Bronwen Frow-Jones from Cardiff University, who spent a decade on the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Wandsworth, said De Sousa Abreu should never have cleared vetting. She told the Mirror: 'During my research I have seen young female prison officers who just didn't look like they were taking it very seriously. They were flirting with the prisoners like they were hanging around at a nightclub.'
The revelations come ahead of the sentencing of Alicia Novas, 19, a teenage prison guard who admitted having an affair with an inmate at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire. The POA has called for robust recruitment checks and firm penalties for misconduct to maintain trust and safety across the prison estate.
