THOUSANDS of front-line prison officers have been cut since the Tories took power in 2010, new figures have revealed.

The total number of “Band 3-5” prison officers stood at 22,321 at the end of June.

More than 6,000 prison staff in this group were cut under the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government.

The current total is well below the nearly 25,000 front-line officers who worked in prisons back in 2010.

Labour’s shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon condemned the drop in staff numbers, saying: “The Tories’ ideological cuts have caused a crisis in our prisons.

“It is shocking, given the record levels of violence in prisons, that the number of officers is falling yet again.

“The stark truth is that there are still thousands fewer prison officers than when Labour left office, and there are already too few staff to safely manage things as they are, never mind any planned expansion.

“The Tories’ reckless decision to axe thousands of officers has left our prisons more dangerous than ever.

“These cuts must be reversed and the government needs to urgently set out a plan to tackle this exodus of experienced officers.”

A Prison Service spokesman told the Morning Star: “Our hard-working officers play a crucial role in keeping prisons safe and transforming offenders’ lives, and ultimately make sure the public is protected.

“We have over 700 new officers in post compared to this time last year and are working hard to retain staff and keep levels stable.

“We gave officers the biggest pay increase in a decade last year and have provided additional training and support to all staff, offering services including 24/7 counselling, trauma support and occupational health assessments.”