A police officer is “conscious and talking” after being stabbed in the chest at a maximum security prison in Durham. Durham police said the male officer was visiting HMP Frankland, in the north of the city, when the incident took place at about 11am on Tuesday. The victim was later confirmed as an officer in the major incident team of Greater Manchester police (GMP). A GMP spokesperson said: “He was transported to hospital in a critical condition, where he is being treated for his injuries. “We have made the family aware of this incident and are supporting them through this incredibly difficult time.” The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said on X: “Deeply concerning news from HMP Frankland today, where a police officer has been stabbed, though is conscious and talking in hospital. I am being kept up-to-date with all developments. And my thoughts are with that brave officer.” HMP Frankland opened in 1983 and is a category A prison, meaning it has the highest level of security. It holds more than 800 male prisoners over the age of 21, including high-risk remand prisoners and category A inmates thought to pose the greatest threat to the public, police or national security. Many are serving life sentences and whole-life tariffs. It has been labelled “monster mansion” because of the number of convicted terrorists, murderers and sex offenders in there. Some of the current inmates are understood to include the Soham murderer Ian Huntley, serial killer Levi Bellfield, Soho nailbomber David Copeland and Wayne Couzens, the Metropolitan police officer who raped and murdered Sarah Everard in 2021. Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president sentenced to 50 years for war crimes, is reportedly another Frankland prisoner. Previous inmates have included Charles Bronson, Peter Sutcliffe and Harold Shipman. A spokesperson for Durham police said: “Shortly after 11am this morning, Durham constabulary were called to an incident at HMP Frankland in Durham city. A police officer, who was visiting the facility from an outside force, suffered a stab wound to the chest during the incident. “The injured officer has been taken to hospital by ambulance, where he is described as being ‘conscious and talking’.” A crew from the Great North air ambulance also attended the incident. A spokesperson said: “Our critical care team was activated at 11.05am to reports of an assault at HMP Frankland. We had a doctor and paramedic onboard our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 11.16am. “Our team worked alongside the North East ambulance service (NEAS) to assess and treat a patient, and they were taken to hospital by the NEAS road crew, accompanied by our team.” An NEAS spokesperson said: “We were called to an incident today at HMP Frankland in Durham at 10.50am. We dispatched one ambulance crew, one duty officer, two HART crews [hazardous area response team] and were supported by our colleagues at Great North air ambulance service. One injured patient was taken to hospital.”