Prison officers at Alice Springs Correctional Centre fear death on a ‘daily basis’

The staffing crisis at Alice Springs Correctional Centre has reached crisis point, with prison officers fearing for their lives on a ‘daily basis’. Read the claims from the inside.

Prison officers at Alice Springs Correctional Centre fear for their lives on a daily basis as the facility struggles with chronic understaffing, it can be revealed.

The facility has become so short-staffed that officers are constantly on edge over what they fear is the risk of riots turning so violent prisoners could seriously injure or even kill guards when unrest escalates.

A prison officer at Alice Springs Correctional Centre, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said fear of death was something staff spoke about “every day”.

Staff at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre say they experience fear when going to work due to the staffing conditions.

“100 per cent everyone talks about it,” they said.

“These things are going to happen.

“There has to be a point where something happens.

“How bad does it have to get?

“We’re so desperate.”

The worker said due to the understaffing in the facility, officers feared they would lose control of an escalating situation.

“The fear is not knowing,” they said.

The officer described a previous riot, in which they said 200 prisoners were involved, as “f – ing mayhem”.

At their estimate, the prison had about 70 fewer officers than required to safely operate.

“The reality is it can’t happen anymore,” they said.

Routine duties such as regular searches of cells had fallen by the wayside because of the lack of resources inside the prison, which the corrections union claimed was operating with less than half the minimum number of officers on day and night shifts.

“Things like searches are the first to go,” the officer said.

“We just don’t have the manpower.”

The officer said before a prisoner allegedly jumped the fence in a low-security section of the facility on Thursday morning, guards had pleaded for more razor wire to be installed to prevent escapes.

Alice Springs correctional officers are threatening to walk off their jobs amid an enterprise agreement breakdown. Picture: Lee Robinson

The union claimed only six officers were on duty that night – less than half of the minimum number required on a night shift, while the officer said some nights there were as few as three guards policing the almost full prison.

They also claimed assaults on prison officers had increased by at least 50 per cent in the past year.

They said incidents included guards being punched and suffering cuts to their faces when prisoners allegedly lashed out.

Those alleged assaults left officers feeling unsafe and unable to properly do their jobs.

“We’ve been lucky that it hasn’t been more serious.”

A correctional services spokesman said the safety of staff and prisoners was always a top priority.

He said the operating models at all facilities was being reviewed to ensure the appropriate number of staff were at each centre.

“NT Correctional Services is committed to increasing the number of correctional officers in our ranks,” he said.

“We acknowledge there is a staff shortage in custodial operations and we are working hard to recruit more officers to meet attrition rates and rising demand pressures.”

Originally published as Prison officers at Alice Springs Correctional Centre fear death on a ‘daily basis’