North Adelaide locals and neighbouring shop owner Mark White concerned over Quality Inn hotel

A neighbour of a North Adelaide hotel used to detain people awaiting deportation says he only learned of Tuesday’s escape from social media – and feels left in the dark.

North Adelaide shop owner Mark White learnt of the Quality Inn O’Connell hotel escaped immigrant detainee through social media. Picture: Dasha Havrilenko

People who live and work near the Quality Inn O’Connell hotel in North Adelaide say they weren’t kept informed about the true purpose of the hotel – nor the escape this week of an immigration detainee.

Neighbouring business owner Mark White learnt about what transpired on Tuesday afternoon while scrolling on Facebook at night and was shocked.

“I actually didn’t realise that the hotel was being used for detainees with a criminal record, and I didn’t know that one had escaped,” the 33-year-old said.

“I saw it on Facebook and that Blackfriars had been in lockdown because of the escapee.

“That’s really concerning that I learned about it through Facebook considering that I’m right next door and still no one informed me.

“So that kind of makes me question, how safe is my actual shop?”

Mr White has been working on O’Connell St for the past two-and-a-half years and he recalled how he started seeing suspicious behaviour soon after establishing his business next door to the hotel.

In one instance, he had to complain to the hotel’s management because he was experiencing dangerous activity outside his store.

A smashed window at the Quality Inn O’Connell hotel, North Adelaide where an immigration detainee escaped. Picture: Dasha Havrilenko

“In the beginning, before the hotel had ramped up security, there was a lot of yelling and shouting. There were a few incidents that got out of hand where police had to arrive,” he said. “This was about two years ago, which is when everything started to get a little bit secretive and gates started going up at the front and back of the hotel parking lot.

“I stopped seeing any hotel customers regularly coming and going, it’s a lot of security, maintenance people, cleaners, people like that who visit the hotel.”

Overall, Mr White feels angered by the latest news.

He believes local residents should have been informed of the hotel’s true purpose as it affects their safety and North Adelaide is popular with tourists, the elderly and schoolchildren.

Another resident, who has asked to remain anonymous, lives a few houses away from the hotel and said she feels like she should have been informed about its use as a detention centre.

Michael Bradford, 70, who rents a unit a couple of metres away from the hotel’s rear windows and rear car park, spent his childhood in North Adelaide and has only recently moved back into the area after finding a unit in September.

He was not informed by anyone about the hotel being used as a detention centre for potentially high risk immigrants and believes had he known he would have reconsidered leasing the apartment.

“All I was ever told was, ‘do not step on to the hotel’s car park, it exclusively belongs to the patrons of the hotel’,” he said.

“But then I saw security guards coming and going. They are here 24/7.

“And it’s bizarre how security did not see the detainee escape, I mean I once accidentally did step into their car park because I wanted to see the aerial disk on my roof, and immediately I had a security guard telling me off.

“So I’m shocked the security didn’t hear or see anything yesterday.”

Mr Bradford is further perplexed as there are cameras and motion-sensor lights surrounding the area, and the hotel’s windows all seem to have security screens.

“I don’t understand how they (security) missed it all happening,” he said.

“I did see unmarked vehicles coming in yesterday, much more than there usually are and now we know why that is.”

Nevertheless, Mr Bradford expressed discomfort at the discovery.

Another local woman lives with her husband and their two children, a 16-year-old and a nine-year-old. The mum says she often lets her children go to the local playground together.

“I was really quite shocked,” she said “My husband was confused as to why we weren’t told first.”

“There are a lot of children playing areas here and my family likes to walk along the streets, and we let our children go to the oval and courts together without our supervision, but now it feels dangerous letting them do that, knowing what we know now.”

She went on to say information about detention centres should always be shared with the residents, irrespective of the area code.

“I think there should have been some sort of public consultation and not because we’re in North Adelaide which is basically in the city,” she said.

“I think it doesn’t matter where we live, expensive, cheap, big or small, in every area where there are criminals nearby, the people should know.”

A North Adelaide woman who only wanted to be known as Jules learned of the hotel when her 91-year-old mother who lives near Blackfriars Priory School called her about the emergency.

“My mother lives behind Blackfriars school, she was petrified and she was in tears this morning,” Jules said.

“She is scared knowing that an escaped detainee was lurking in her area.”

The Advertiser returned to the Quality Hotel Inn on Thursday to observe the location.

The window has not been fixed and a white rag is still hanging out of the window, but security is extra vigilant.

The Advertiser sighted a white Volkswagen van with tinted back windows enter through the back gates of the hotel.

A few moments later, after the first security guard entered the hotel through the main entrance – located in the middle of the hotel – another two security guards beckoned a woman to come out of the car and into the hotel. The woman seemed to be whimpering.

Australian Border Force has been contacted for comment.