Maghaberry Boss Resignation Shock

NI's Prison Service has again been rocked by bad news as the man who was to lead reform and clear up problems at what was officially labelled the worst and most expensive prison in the UK has quit, writes Carla Liébana.

Maghaberry Prison (pictured), is to lose Steve Rodford, its Governor, who is moving to a new post in England 'officially' due to personal and domestic reasons although it is believed he is under dissident republican threat.

The news comes only months after Mr Rodford's predecessor left after a controversy brought on by the suicide of an inmate and an alleged lack of supervision.

BBC Northern Ireland said today there has been a general threat against prison officers from republican dissidents and that Mr Rodford's home address was actually found in the cell of an inmate as well as its car registration details.

He is understood to have moved out of his home a number of weeks ago and had been staying at a hotel.

Meanwhile, his wife moved back to England and said that she no longer wanted to live in NI.

However, the BBC's Vincent Kearney noted that security is not the only reason for Mr Rodford's move: possibly he felt he wasn't able to implement the changes he believed necessary to reform the regime in the prison.

It is believed the man with a reputation as a firm governor later became disillusioned with the amount of bureaucracy and red tape in the NI Prison system and felt he wasn't being given the support and operational independence needed.

Rodford now returns to GB earlier than scheduled - less than five months after taking the job - to Her Majesty's Prison Service to take up an appointment next year.

He took up the NI post last 20 July after the Pearson Report recommendation about the need of changes in Maghaberry's jail, which considered it one of the worst and most expensive to run prisons in the UK.

Rodford's predecessor had left after a controversy by the suicide of an inmate who was supposed to be under observation.

At that time, it was proposed a new team led by a Governor from outside would carry out an urgent improvement programme in the prison, where someof the most dangerous offenders of the country - dissident republican terrorists opposed to the peace process - are held.

Regretting Rodford's departure, the NI Prison Service Director, Robin Masfield, has explained the move, arguing personal reasons.

He said under Radford's leadership Maghaberry Prison had undergone an important progress, especially in the positive development of a culture of care and accountability, performance and delivery.

The whole improvement programme included different plans like the introduction of the Supporting Prisoners at Risk procedures or the review of the Search & Standby Team and the proposals for a dedicated search.

Despite these improvements, during these months Rodford had to deal with the prison suicide of John Anthony Deery, who was found hanged in August.

Mr Rodford also ordered the major search of Maghaberry Prison, which lasted four days and ended with the discovery of bomb-making equipment buried in a garden used by inmates.

(CL/BMcC)

See: Report Slams Jail As Among UK's Worst