Alphen prison guards threatened by man with Kalashnikov: report

Earlier this month the police responded to the prison in Alphen aan den Rijn en masse after a man threatened to shoot the prison staff with an automatic rifle, the Telegraaf reports based on a letter from prison management.

The incident happened on January 17th. Employees are seriously alarmed, the letter states. "As soon as this serious threat became known to the penitentiary institution, it was taken very seriously. The police came into action immediately. An investigation is ongoing", the Judicial Institutions Department explained to the newspaper.

Guards working at the prison feel unsafe, according to newspaper. The prison is understaffed, and there are problems with smuggling, violent incidents and internal corruption. Three employees are currently under investigation for corruption the Telegraaf writes.

Last year an inmate at the Alphen aan den Rijn prison was caught vlogging with a smuggled in smartphone. In 2016 a prison guard was prosecuted for attempted manslaughter after he assaulted a prisoner. And earlier that year a guard was stabbed by an inmate.