A 30-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man have been arrested in connection with misconduct in public office offences.
The woman, a former contractor at HMP Kirkham was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, with officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit stating 'corruption of any kind will not be tolerated' in the justice system.
She was arrested at her home address in Southport and taken to a local police station for questioning, but has since been released under investigation.
Officers from the Regional Prison Intelligence Unit at the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) also arrested a 27-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office.
He has since been recalled to prison after breaching his license.
Detective Inspector Tanya Kitchen from NWROCU said: “We can confirm that following a joint investigation between Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Counter Corruption Unit (HMPPS CCU) and NWROCU, a former female contractor working at HMP Kirkham has been arrested this week.
“Corruption of any kind will not be tolerated and we continue to work closely in partnership to ensure anyone who breaks the rules is brought to justice.
“We would like to encourage members of staff working at prisons to report anyone they suspect are involved corrupt activity, so that we can act on it immediately and put offenders before the courts."
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