WEST YORKSHIRE — HMYOI Wetherby approved the use of ferrets to hunt and kill rats last month. The decision followed complaints in mid-May from staff and children regarding numerous rats observed in the prison grounds and inside its buildings.

A named member of the senior management team at the facility granted permission for a group of officers and children, known as 'Q Branch,' to use the ferrets for rat extermination. There are currently about 100 boys detained at HMYOI Wetherby, which has a capacity for up to 288 boys aged 15 to 18.

According to a Prison Officers Association complaint, a rat was cornered and killed by domesticated ferrets within a staff office at the prison. A separate complaint sent to the Health and Safety Executive details another incident where a ferret bit a rat and held it until a senior staff member stomped on the rat until it died. A young individual responsible for the ferrets reportedly witnessed this incident.

The union's complaint also stated that a manager advised staff to stomp on caught rats or throw them against walls, bypassing approved pest control methods. Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers Association, called for an immediate reversal of the policy to use ferrets for rat control. "This is an unacceptable working practice and should be abolished immediately. This once again proves that the unfit for purpose outsourced maintenance contract needs to be abandoned and brought back in house," Fairhurst said.

Ferrets are kept at the facility as part of a therapeutic program for traumatized children, said in a podcast interview, with animal-assisted therapy being introduced at the institution more than a decade ago. Prison Service sources attributed the rise in rats to building work disturbing a nest. A spokesperson for the Youth Custody Service stated that the incident was isolated and related to maintenance work. They added that HMYOI Wetherby has since strengthened its pest control procedures to prevent vermin.

A spokesperson for the National Ferret Welfare Society stated that ferreting should always be conducted by experienced adults and in a controlled manner. "While we cannot comment on the specific situation without further information, we cannot condone the stamping to death of any animal in any situation," the spokesperson said.