Abuse of Inverness police officers leads MSP Edward Mountain to call for more prison space even after new £209m HMP Highland is finished

The existing Inverness prison should not close when the new HMP Highland opens - because it can provide much-needed jail cells.

That is the view of regional MSP Edward Mountain who says it can offer additional space for inmates amid concerns over early release measures due to lack of space in prisons.

He made the call after he witnessed first-hand the pressures police officers are under when he shadowed Police Scotland in Inverness on Friday evening.

HMP Highland is the long-delayed new facility whose cost has spiralled to £209 million, while the Victorian-designed HMP Porterfield suffers from overcrowding.

Early release in Scotland started in February with just under 400 inmates serving short sentences of four years or less expected to be let out of prison.

Emergency legislation was passed to ease prison overcrowding, which saw prisoners released after serving 40 per cent of their sentence instead of 50 per cent.

This comes after the Highlands top cop Chief Superintendent Rob Shepherd warned that pressures on officers were mounting and that: “Something has to give.”

Earlier this year he reported double-digit rises in sex crimes (19 per cent), antisocial behaviour (28 per cent) and drug supply offences (33 per cent) – and 24 drugs deaths.

Now Mr Mountain believes that “if we kept those 93 places [at Inverness prison] open then absolutely people who did the crime would be able to do the time” - this would account for about a quarter of those released early.

That point was given force when he described the hostile treatment meted out to police, including one incident of cops being spat at and abused during an arrest.

“What I saw were two police officers dealing with a particularly difficult situation where the person who'd been arrested was causing problems in the back of a police van,” he said.

“I was incredibly impressed by the way they dealt with it and the restraint that they showed, even when they were being spat at and verbally abused. I think it's really hard for a police officer to do that and show the restraint they did.

“I think I would have struggled but I was seriously impressed but what you also have to remember is that once that's gone on in the back of a police van where somebody's spat and done that sort of thing – that's a police van out of action until it can be cleaned up, properly disinfected and handed back to the police and that's done by a civilian contractor so that means that van is out of commission.

“That then means that a van has to deploy from somewhere else to help. I mean, it is a complicated system with few police officers, few vehicles, and incredible pressures.”

Prior to shadowing police, he visited the site of the developing new prison near Inverness Campus. It is due to open next year.

“The new HMP Highland is coming along well but we're going to end up with a prison HMP Porterfield which has got 93 spaces in it, which is going to become redundant,” Mr Mountain said.

“What are we going to do with that? If we're letting people out early we should be keeping places that like that open so that people can serve the correct jail time.

“If it worked in conjunction with the new prison, which will have all those facilities in it for rehabilitation, it would also become a useful facility rather than letting people out.

“I'm afraid, I'm of the old school, if somebody's done something wrong and they've been sentenced, they should not be let off their sentence because we don't have the facilities - they should do their sentence and do their time, and we should make sure there are the facilities.

“There are 93 cells up there [HMP Porterfield] or there is capacity for 93 and often operating at 117, 120 places. If we kept those 93 places open then absolutely people who did the crime would be able to do the time.”

In March, it was reported Crown Connects was understood to be pursuing plans for a community buy-out of the Porterfield site - a so-called community asset transfer.

Future uses for the historic site, dating back to 1902, are already being explored - with the Inverness and Moray Firth local development plan zoning the site for possible housing or tourism. Highland Council documents believe the site could provide space for around 30 houses.

Scottish Prison Service has been asked for comment.