'Horrendous' staff shortage led to West Kimberley prison riot, union says

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5 days ago

The West Australian Prison Officers' Union has blamed government inaction on staffing and overcrowding for a riot at a prison in the state's far north over the weekend.
The union says three officers were injured when a group of medium-security inmates breached their accommodation units at West Kimberley Regional Prison (WKRP), near Derby, 2,300km north of Perth, about 10.20pm on Saturday.
The Department of Justice said the incident was confined to the prison grounds and resolved in the early hours of Sunday morning due to "a rapid inter-agency response" from prison staff and local police, with no injuries to staff or inmates.
However, union secretary Andy Smith said he was aware three officers were injured prior to and during the incident, and that 45 beds had been damaged.
"While I don't have details on those, to dismiss them and say there weren't injuries is an absolute insult to the officers," Mr Smith said.
Mr Smith said ongoing staffing concerns across the state's prison system had resulted in the incident.
"This is a culmination of years of the department running all of our prisons across the state horrendously short of staff," he said.
"We're hundreds of officers short.
"It's an absolute nightmare what is happening in our system. It's taken us five years to get them to see it, and now it's too late to fix it."
However, a spokesperson for the department rejected the union's claims.
"There were no injuries to any person arising from the disturbance," they said.
"The department is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and at this time there is no indication it related to staffing or muster numbers.
"A shade sail was set alight, but it smouldered out. There were no beds destroyed, some of the accommodation units are offline so repairs can be safely undertaken."
The incident follows a foiled attempt by inmates to riot and escape from Greenough Regional Prison, in WA's Midwest, which the union said was triggered by similar staffing and overcrowding problems.
Mr Smith said overcrowding in prisons across the state, including WKRP, had led to an increase in inmates lashing out at officers.
"Prisoners are crammed into cells that were not designed to take so many prisoners, and therefore they stay angry all the time, and the only people they take it out on are our prison officers," he said.
Earlier this month, data revealed there were 254 prisoners in WKRP, while the capacity for standard accommodation was 223 and eight for special purpose accommodation.
Meanwhile, data showed that between April 1 and June 30, the average out-of-cell hours at the prison were 7.31 hours a day, while the state average was 9.22 hours.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said Special Operations Group officers were deployed to WKRP to "support the site during the recovery phase and assist with prisoner relocations".
"A damage assessment is being conducted and security footage reviewed to determine any criminal charges," the department said in a statement.
Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia declined to respond to the union's criticisms, but took aim at inmates involved in the disturbance.
"Prisoners at West Kimberley are accommodated in a purpose-designed, open-plan, on-country facility," he said
"Those involved in this disturbance should be condemned for squandering that privilege.
"I commend prison staff and police who acted swiftly to resolve this incident safely."
Shadow Corrective Services Minister Adam Hort said the incident was a sign the state's prison system was buckling under increasing pressure.
"West Kimberley was supposed to give (local) prisoners a chance at rehabilitation on country.
"Now it's overcrowded, crumbling, and on the verge of collapse."