Prison officers offered improved pay and pensions after safety crisis

Prison officers are to get an improved pay and pensions deal after the Government reached agreement with the union following weeks of controversy over jail safety. The proposed package, which includes a reduction in the retirement age of up to three years, has been endorsed by the Prison Officers Association (POA) and will be put to a membership ballot. The offer had been made before thousands of POA members stopped work last month as prisons reported a surge in violence amid claims the system w