By Mark Lavery
PRISON officers banned for wearing St George's Cross tie pins, fear poppies could be next on the hit list.
Yorkshire prison officers who wore St George's Cross tie pins to support a cancer charity have been criticised by a jails watchdog.
Chief Inspector Of Prisons, Anne Owers, said the pins worn by officers at Wakefield's maximum security prison, could be "misinterpreted" as a racist symbol.
But Steve Cox, Wakefield representative of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "What next, are we going to stop staff wearing poppies in case we offend someone in the European community?
He added: "Whatever Wakefield staff do it never seems to be enough. Anne Owers and others should spend a day in a prison officer's shoes and they might realise how difficult it is."
And Leeds breast cancer survivor Nikki Embleton of Cancer Research UK, said: "Tie pins are a great way for charities to raise money."
A section on race relations in Ms Owers' report published today said: "We were concerned to see a number of staff wearing a flag of St George tie pin.
"While we were told that these had been bought in support of a cancer charity there was clear scope for misinterpretation, and Prison Service Orders made clear that unauthorised badges and pins should not be worn."
As one of her formal recommendations Ms Owers said: "Staff should not wear unauthorised tie pins."
Brian Caton of the Prison Officers' Association said: "If the only problem the chief inspector found was tie pins, then there can't be a lot wrong with Wakefield prison."
Prison governor David Thompson, said: "If the officer had asked me if he could wear the tie pin for a charity I would have approved it."
He continued: "It's a storm in a teacup in many respects."
mark.lavery@ypn.co.uk

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Caption: REPORT: Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers visited Wakefield Jail