Prisoners 'to be housed in RAF camp' [Archive]

Hardly Worth it

25th Jan 2007, 16:21

Which ever one they use you can guarantee that the accommodation will be upgraded for the poor little criminals. After all you can't expect them to live in sub-standard accommodation now..........:*

Fully agree Ratty, don't forget the new sports facilities and swimming pool though ! :*

Pontius Navigator

25th Jan 2007, 16:35

That lets Coningsby out. The accommodation is OK but no pool.

Jackonicko

25th Jan 2007, 16:40

Cultybraggan gets my vote......

Austere, built as a prison for 4,000 Nazi PoWs, still able to accomodate 800 or so (some of them under canvas!) with kitchens and showers....

Plenty of fresh air and scenery, and if anyone escapes, they're in Jockistan, with unfriendly natives everywhere.

philrigger

25th Jan 2007, 16:45

;)
This part of the north west was once one of the most heavily populated areas for RAF stations. Most were training stations. A few I can remember are: West Kirby, Woodvale, Weeten, Kirkham, Freckleton, Burtonwood, Warton.
Most of these have probably been ploughed over or built on now. Kirkham I think is already a prison. How many of them are in the correct constituency I do not know. My bet is Woodvale.
The article does say that they are building cabins now so I do not think it will be Sealand. Also it is in the wrong constituency.

'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

Art Field

25th Jan 2007, 16:51

Don't you love the bit about not using the Dover camp because children of those serving in Afganistan are at school nearby. Another no cost, crocodile tears support for the military from a Tone Crone.

Pontius Navigator

25th Jan 2007, 16:55

;)
This part of the north east was once one of the most heavily populated areas for RAF stations. Most were training stations. A few I can remember are: West Kirby, Woodvale, Weeten, Kirkham, Burtonwood, Warton.
Most of these have probably been ploughed over or built on now. Kirkham is already a prison. How many of them are in the correct constituency I do not know. My bet is Woodvale.
The article does say that they are building cabins now so I do not think it will be Sealand. Also it is in the wrong constituency.
'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

What? Another Yorkshire take-over?

West Kirby was in the west when I used to ride there on my bike :)

jayteeto

25th Jan 2007, 17:20

North East?? My compass is reading wrong. The articles are a bit misleading so I will try my best guess. Ashworth NHS Hospital (Ian Brady lives there) is on the outskirts of Maghull and Kirkby. The old hospital buildings are still behind the wire and at this very moment are being refurbished, I looked at the crane today. It was announced a few weeks ago as a new Category C prison. Not sure what that category is, but it is OLD news spouted again today to put a spin on things. The RAF station has been declared (I think) as a one in the North of England. I am sitting at Woodvale right now and am fairly confident that the security of this station is ....ahem.... not up to the standards required. Sealand airfield is almost empty and as far as RAF airfields go, that is about it for the northwest. So my tentative guess is Sealand or N Yorkshire.
Tony, Gordon, John....... Why bother trying to fool us?? Just let them go publicly, rather than try and hide it behind spin. Everybody knows you are lying. We catch them and you let them go, it has become a sick game :mad:

STANDTO

25th Jan 2007, 17:37

West Kirby, Woodvale, Weeten, Kirkham, Burtonwood, Warton - North EAST??

Woodvale is in Southport, Weeton is a very nice army barracks and hasn't been an airfield for centuries, and is in Lancs. Kirkham _ i presume you mean HMS Inskip, the top secret base with 3000ft masts, and BWOS might have something to say about prisoners nicking bits of Eurofighters at Warton. Burtonwood is mainly houses last time I drove past.

Dunno about W.Kirby

FormerFlake

25th Jan 2007, 18:14

It's hardly new news, the RAF Regt have been at Honington for years now.

Green Meat

25th Jan 2007, 18:33

West Kirby is now just asphalt, concrete and grass...

ppf

25th Jan 2007, 18:43

If they decided to go a little further north isn't Saxa available now..........

ppf :E

ZH875

25th Jan 2007, 18:53

If they decided to go a little further north isn't Saxa available now..........

ppf :E

I would recommend a tad further south.

MPA - Nowhere to escape to, they could have an open prison, with as much free BFBS as they want.:)

ppf

25th Jan 2007, 18:54

How about a compromise, half way between Saxa and MPA then the buggers can drown :E

ppf :ok:

D120A

25th Jan 2007, 18:59

Binbrook has a head start: even 30 years ago, one of the barrack blocks was called Alcatraz...

:\

cynicalint

25th Jan 2007, 19:30

MPA - Nowhere to escape to, they could have an open prison, with as much free BFBS as they want

We could even arrange 'Escape Nights' across the minefields! - after BFBS anything is worth a risk..:E

Green Flash

25th Jan 2007, 20:46

Church Fenton?

SFCC

25th Jan 2007, 21:08

Nahhhhh. No accomodation to speak of there, apart from shagged out barrack blocks that must surely be crumbling by now (not that the little scrotes deserve anything better).:oh:

Yeller_Gait

25th Jan 2007, 22:06

A base in Norfolk according to ITV 1030 news this evening. Not an ATC tower spotter, but I am guessing it is a disused airfield they were referring to :rolleyes:

Y_G

Letsby Avenue

25th Jan 2007, 23:16

Just look at the political map of England, pick out the blue bits (not to difficult in the shires) cross refer to current or ex mil accommodation and there you go. Poke in the eye to those ungrateful middle class types and no votes lost for Gordon's Nazis - If only I was joking :hmm:

niknak

26th Jan 2007, 00:01

Yeller's got it about right, there are a million and one non aviation uses for the former RAF Coltishall, so build a prison on it and totally preclude its use for anything else.
It's accepted that avition would never return there, but the airfield itself has brown field status and is ripe for development as an industrial park for the many businesses which cannot find or afford space in Norwich.

Still, if it became a prison with a runway, at least it could be used to house the illegal criminals, then fly them out to the North Sea and drop them off...

tucumseh

26th Jan 2007, 06:46

I suppose it's only co-incidence that this weeks Defence Contracts Bulletin invites expressions of interest for the redevelopment of RAF Wyton.......

REDEVELOPMENT OF RAF WYTON

Redevelopment including design via new build/refurbishment of RAF Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The project is required to be handed over in 2010. There is the possibility that a second increment (required in 2013/4) will be inserted into the contract at a later stage.

London Mil

26th Jan 2007, 07:03

Lindholme - oh sorry, they have already done that.
How about Finningley - ooops, too late someone has made it into yet another 'international airport'.
Waterbeach - already a prison thinly disguised as an RE Barracks.
Neatishead - sorry, its now a pointless museum.
Scampton - Should fit in well with the ASACs community.
Wittering - might as well do something with it as we cannot afford to hand it back.

Wycombe

26th Jan 2007, 07:14

Art Field said:

Don't you love the bit about not using the Dover camp because children of those serving in Afghanistan are at school nearby.

Quite right too. I was there (at the School, as a pupil) during Op Corporate (with a lot of lads whose old men were down there), and the tension and fear every time the news came on was something I'll always remember.

It's a MoD School of course, glad to see we are looking after our own :ok:

philrigger

26th Jan 2007, 07:18

;)
This part of the north east was once one of the most heavily populated areas for RAF stations. Most were training stations. A few I can remember are: West Kirby, Woodvale, Weeten, Kirkham, Burtonwood, Warton.
Most of these have probably been ploughed over or built on now. Kirkham is already a prison. How many of them are in the correct constituency I do not know. My bet is Woodvale.
The article does say that they are building cabins now so I do not think it will be Sealand. Also it is in the wrong constituency

OK OK - Sorry about that. I was having a senior moment. I did mean the NORTH WEST. I have now edited my post. I will pay pennance by drinking a few extra pints of ale tonight.
The redevelopment of Wyton?
I assume that this is to do with building/converting barrack blocks, dining facilities etc for the living-in personnel arriving from Brampton in the next couple of years.
'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

Cumbrian Fell

26th Jan 2007, 07:57

Yes, expressions of interest are being sought for Wyton, but it will stay in military use. Watch out for the black Omegas pitching up...'nuf said.

PhoenixDaCat

26th Jan 2007, 08:05

My bet is Woodvale.

What and put the crims at risk from the 100 Air Cadets who fly and glide there each weekend?

blogger

26th Jan 2007, 08:45

So guard duty will now be a case of walking the fence on the outside of the camp.

MOD Main Building, Abbey Wood should make the best places maybe the inmates could 'HOT BUNK' ..... to save them doing too much time inside poor things.

At least Blair could leave number 10 walk accroos the road and be the first inmate for war crimes.

Wader2

26th Jan 2007, 08:57

diginagain

26th Jan 2007, 09:06

Leccy is rather too close to Prescott Towers to make that choice likely. Woodvale would be handy - for Merseyside Police ASU to keep them mindful of the forces that helped put them in the clink.

BattlerBritain

26th Jan 2007, 10:59

Reminds me of the story of Locking a few years back.

They desperately needed accomodation for the Illegal Immigrants and Locking was offered up.

They turned it down - because it was deemed that the accomodation wasn't good enough for Illegal Immigrants.

So what did they do instead?

They flattened the site and put it back to open fields.

Enough to wake you weep.

TMJ

26th Jan 2007, 11:54

<Woodvale?>

What and put the crims at risk from the 100 Air Cadets who fly and glide there each weekend?

Ah yes, but LUAS are already there, so the crims will feel right at home... :)

Melchett01

26th Jan 2007, 20:21

I think DGIC may have something to say about a bunch of thieves & murderers sharing the same site as the one earmarked for one of his prize toys!

Coltishall keeps cropping up in the press reports I've read. Not sure how true that is, but knowing this governments loathing of the military and distaste for the past, erasing the final BoB station and replacing with a prison is hardly surprising. Would appear to be about par for the course.

On the bright side, there should be enough space to keep Tony's cabal in a style to which they are currently unaccustomed :mad:

Farfrompuken

27th Jan 2007, 08:04

Well,

They're building a new SLAM block.

They're putting in a new control tower.

They're re-laying the main runway.

If that isn't enough evidence, I don't know what is!;)

Olly O'Leg

27th Jan 2007, 08:13

390cruise

27th Jan 2007, 08:29

Chaps

I think you will find the plan is to use the Sergeants mess at Coltishall.

390

Maple 01

27th Jan 2007, 08:43

Because the lad's blocks wern't fit for pigs?

Brahm block condemed in 1983

keel beam

27th Jan 2007, 09:15

From the Kenyan paper “The Saturday Standard” 27/1/07

“Shoot to kill criminals, Michuki orders police.

Internal security minister Mr John Michuki has told police to shoot and kill any armed criminals.

“How do you arrest someone who has a gun and is ready to fire? Or will you arrest him when you are already dead?” he posed.”

Certainly eases possible prison over crowding. If, at the end of the day, the police still have too many prisoners ….

From the same paper on the same day:

“Officer turns his bedroom into female suspects’ cell”
The police were “hailed for their discipline. Despite the female cells being within the police officer’s house, there were no cases of sexual exploitation or coercion”

Wensleydale

27th Jan 2007, 19:29

PAF,The problem was that we strapped a ball on to their ankle, thereby allowing plenty of time for practice during the voyage...

Krystal n chips

28th Jan 2007, 07:14

Given HMPS's concept of logic plus their inability to actually (a) keep their guests under lock and key and (b) be certain as to how many they should actually have in residence at any one time ( see Sudbury etc ) the only place that springs to mind is----Sealand !. Think about, perfectly located on a major arterial route, an industrial estate and retail estate on the doorstep for those wishing to "keep their hand in" as it were, convenient for a commute into Liverpool and Manchester, some very "des res" properties in Chester, excellent rail links for those wishing to travel further than the North West and last, but not least, the place will probably get a nice new sports pavilion to replace the wooden shack which has been there since the year dot. The perfect location ! :E

NutLoose

28th Jan 2007, 14:37

Wasn't Newton being banded around as some sort of asylum camp a while ago? Sounds like that has potential! I remember that the locals wanted the RAF out for years and years and then were desperate to get them back when it was mentioned that it was going to be an asylum camp. Not sure how far the idea got in the end??? Anyone know?

It was scrapped after objections from local populace..

I do remember when I was at RAF Odiham, the old Airmans blocks still with their WW2 camo on the outside but faded in the mid 70's.

They were 18 man rooms divided up by partitions and wardrobes into 2 man spaces.. a fire trap if there ever was one...........

Anyway, someone wrote anon to Farmers Weekly stating they had a building, gave the dimensions and pointed out it was well lit, ventilated and heated and asked how many pigs would be recommended to house in the said room.........

It was published and the answer which astounded the 18 people occupying the room was I believe 9.

Needless to say it was copied and posted around all of the blocks until someone got wind of it and they were all removed.........

Summed the RAF accomodation up well.

Gainesy

28th Jan 2007, 16:10

I remember sitting in my room at Honington (1976), reading Gary Powers' book (U-2 shot down over Russia) and he mentioned the size of his cell in the Lublyanka. I can't remember the actual dimensions but he had more space than I did. Hierarchy was probably more pleasent too.

2close

28th Jan 2007, 18:08

Keep fingers crossed that there isn't a repeat of 1988.

It's all very well converting military bases into prisons, temporary or otherwise, but someone has got to man them and when they converted Rollestone and other camps into makeshift prisons for the overcrowding problem back in '88 I, amongst others, was drafted in as a prison officer. If I remember correctly, it went under the somewhat cynical name of Operation Cutter - were the authorities expecting something?

Following a very rigorous and thorough 2.5 HOURS training we were thrown straight in at the deep end.

The camp was quite 'comical' with its double layers of barbed wire fences and 'machine-gun' towers - that bit really p***ed me off, NO Gimmpies - I wasn't sure if I was a prison officer or an extra in The Great Escape.

But I wouldn't want to see that imposed on service personnel again.

What about making a few old and battered tankers temporarily seaworthy, 'temporarily' 'cos we can fill them up with scrotes, give them 12 hours fuel and a fixed rudder and point them towards the middle of the Atlantic (or any other similarly inhospitable body of deep water) and use them for live firing practice. There'd be plenty of scope for Air to Surface firing and the bubbleheads even get to practice firing their torpedoes.

Why stop there? We could solve two problems by incorporating Celebrity Big Brother and moving 'the house' onto the foredeck. Now I'm getting into the realms of wishful thinking so I'd best stop before I get on a real roll..........