FOUR court custody staff have been seriously injured following alleged attacks by cons.
One guard suffered an eye wound while another was left with blood pouring down his face following an alleged headbutt.
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Insiders say workers are getting caught in violent one-to-ones with lags in holding cells due to a staffing crisis at private contractor GEOAmey, which transfers cons by van to courts.
A source said of the flare-ups at Edinburgh Sheriff Court: “It’s a joke. Staff are trying to do the best job but it is unsafe.
“I reckon it’s only a matter of time before one of them is more seriously hurt.
“One guy had his eye socket smashed, another was left with a massive cut after being headbutted. It needs urgent action. If they are off sick or there are staff shortages, that has a huge impact on court business.”
We told how GEOAmey was missing hundreds of transfers from prison a month due to staff shortages. And a sheriff admitted absent prisoners was a “daily” headache for courts.
Police Scotland said two men, aged 31 and 49, had been reported to the fiscal in connection with alleged assaults.
GEOAmey said any injuries incurred by staff at work are “unacceptable” and would be reported to police.
But a spokesman added: “Our investigations into recent incidents at Edinburgh Sheriff Court have confirmed staffing levels were not a causal factor.
“Robust operational guidelines are in place, with prisoner-on-staff assaults falling by 12 per cent compared to last year.”
It comes just a week after the boss at Scotland’s biggest prisON warned the jail could suffer a “catastrophic failure” at any moment as it is overcrowded and outdated.
HMP Barlinnie is already running at 140 per cent capacity with nearly 1400 prisoners when it was designed for 987.
Prison chief Michael Stoney said the Glasgow nick won’t last much longer as the infrastructure is consistently failing.
He told the BBC: “At some point it may be a catastrophic failure, by then it’s too late. We know that day is coming.
“A lot of my time is just trying to keep the prison functional.
“If dates like building and completion stretch further, then the risk gets greater year on year.”
