Cavan Youth Training Centre: Two youths arrested after guards allegedly attacked

“Chronic understaffing” at a detention centre is being blamed for locking youths in their rooms for 23 hours a day – leading to an attack on staff with makeshift weapons.

Guards at a “chronically understaffed” Adelaide detention centre had to defend themselves with plastic chairs after youths wielding makeshift weapons allegedly attacked them.

The incident happened at the Cavan Youth Training Centre, or Kurlana Tapa, about 7.30pm on Monday, after two residents allegedly refused to return to their rooms.

Public Service Association’s general secretary Natasha Brown, union representative for guards at the centre, said tensions boiled over because of a chronic lack of staff.

She said staff had become fearful for their lives and some residents at the centre had been forced to remain locked in their rooms for 23 hours a day due to the decline in supervising staff.

“This incident is a direct result of unaddressed chronic short staffing at Kurlana Tapa,” Ms Brown said.

“There are simply not enough staff to enable the centre to operate safely; this has led to increased lockdown times for residents, who are then taking their frustrations out on staff.

“Our members’ safety is placed in jeopardy every shift because of staffing shortages, slow, and at-times poor management decisions, and lack of access to safety equipment.”

Adelaide Youth Training Centre in Cavan exterior. Picture: supplied

She urged the government to hire more staff in order for the facility to be run safely.

“The failure of departmental management to address staffing and safety issues is putting the safety of both our members and the young people in the Centre at risk,” Ms Brown said.

Approximately $5000 damage was caused to the kitchen area.

A spokesperson from the Department of Human Services said an accredited training program would be rolled out to ensure safety to staff and residents involving personal protective equipment.

“The centre’s staff numbers have recently been impacted by Covid-19 and influenza, with seven staff off sick the night of the incident,” the spokesperson said.

“As a result of unplanned staff shortages, the accommodation units operated under modified routines. This means residents were asked to return to their rooms earlier than usual.”

DHS is undertaking additional recruitment processes, it said.

Police entered the courtyard on Monday night and arrested two youths, aged 17, and charged them with property damage and aggravated affray.

They were bailed to appear in the Youth Court on Tuesday.

It follows a similar incident at Yatala Labour Prison in April where riots forced the centre into lockdown.

Cells were damaged in a wing but there was “no threat to the good order and security of the prison,” a Department of Correctional Service spokeswoman said at the time.