PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Prisons: Civil Disorder (31 October 2017)

Tornado teams are comprised of prison officers based in prison establishments who are trained to an advanced level of control and restraint. We have over 2000 trained staff across the country and they are grouped into Tornado teams made up of 12 officers and two commanders (a unit).

Between 1/9/16 and 30/10/17 – Tornado teams have been deployed on a total of 30 occasions. In the majority of cases, Tornado teams are deployed as a precaution, and the resolution of the incident is provided by local staff.

Tornado Teams can be deployed for a variety of incidents including Concerted Indiscipline, Regime Support following an incident, Assisting in searching and Incidents at Height.