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HM Belmarsh prison, or Hellmarsh as the inmates call it, is a category A prison situated in the South East of London.
The prison service manual states that Category A prisoners are: “Those whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public or national security. Offences that may result in consideration for Category A or Restricted Status include: Attempted murder, Manslaughter, Wounding with intent, Rape, Indecent assault, Robbery or conspiracy to rob (with firearms), Firearms offences, Importing or supplying Class A controlled drugs, Possessing or supplying explosives, Offences connected with terrorism and Offences under the Official Secrets Act.”
In other words, Belmarsh prison is filled with some very bad people.
But there is nothing to worry about. Belmarsh is a state of the art facility. High walls, well trained guards and a system of electronically controlled Mag-locks that secure every door on every cell. Even in the event of an EMP or similar power outage there is a hardened back up battery that keeps the cells secure. The batteries last for sixteen hours.
Or until 10.00 am in the morning.
It is now 10.01 am.
Belmarsh houses approximately 880 inmates.
Or, to put it more correctly - Belmarsh used to hold 880 inmates.
Chapter 4