Out-of-control youth detainees riot into the night

UPDATE 5PM: Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath has said a full investigation will take place into last night’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre riot.WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

Youth on the roof of Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville. Picture: DOMANII CAMERON

UPDATE 5PM: Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath has said a full investigation will take place into last night’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre riot.

Ms D’Ath was unable to say how long the investigation may take, but said it would cover issues such as how youth got onto the roof, the staff response and what could have been done.

“We can try to proof these buildings as much as we want... but it is extraordinary how these youth have got onto this roof, have helped each other to get up,” she said.

“All of those things will be investigated to determine what they armed themselves with and where they got those items from.”

Ms D’Ath flew to Townsville in the wake of the riot, meeting with staff at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.

Meanwhile a worker injured in the riot is still awaiting to undergo surgery.

Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said the 20 inmates had been playing sport on one of the two fields when staff members were drawn to a separate incident in another block of the compound.

The youths then began damaging the area and armed themselves with “various missiles” taken from the facility.

It is understood the inmates then climbed on to two roofs of the building and refused to come down.

The centre’s executive director Peter Owens said the staff member was undergoing surgery after suffering the serious injury.

The object that hit the man is unknown but it is thought to be a large rock or a piece of metal.

“He’s not doing very well at all,” Mr Owens said.

“I understand his wife is quite distressed as you would expect, and he has a couple of children.”

Earlier, police said the youths involved made “frivolous” demands including KFC and alcohol during the stand-off.

Up to 63 police officers dealt with the incident through the course of the night, including the dog unit, negotiators and backup from Cairns.

Asst Comm Taylor said there were 29 staff members in the facility when the rogue inmates started throwing objects, injuring four.

“A number of youth workers sustained injuries and other youth workers came to their aid. The 29 staff within the facility sought refuge in the visitors’ centre,” Asst Comm Taylor said.

Two staff nurses attended to their injured colleagues, with one person losing sight in one eye due to an injury.

Police were able to safely evacuate the building and three of the four injured people were taken to hospital.

“They’re youths so their demands are fairly frivolous in the big picture; issues around Kentucky Fried Chicken and questions around alcohol and that type of things which obviously we are not in a position to deliver to youths,” Asst Comm Taylor said.

“I’ve got to praise the youth workers, these men and women, who go to work every day trying to change the lives of these troubled youth.

“They don’t go to work to become victims of assault.”

All inmates were accounted for by 6.25am today, and were expected to be charged with a slew of offences including grievous bodily harm and rioting.

Police said there was never any risk to the community and the inmates were never in a position to reach the external perimeters of the compound.

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UPDATE 2.40PM: Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath is addressing the media following the riot at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre. WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

QLD A-G Yvette D'Ath joining with police to provide an update on overnight incident at Cleveland Detention Centre https://t.co/VcGF2uqC3K

— QPS Media Unit (@QPSmedia) November 11, 2016

UPDATE 5PM: Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath has said a full investigation will take place into last night’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre riot.

Ms D’Ath was unable to say how long the investigation may take, but said it would cover issues such as how youth got onto the roof, the staff response and what could have been done.

“We can try to proof these buildings as much as we want... but it is extraordinary how these youth have got onto this roof, have helped each other to get up,” she said.

“All of those things will be investigated to determine what they armed themselves with and where they got those items from.”

Ms D’Ath flew to Townsville in the wake of the riot, meeting with staff at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.

Meanwhile a worker injured in the riot is still awaiting to undergo surgery.

UPDATE 12.20 PM A joint police and corrective services investigation is underway following an overnight riot at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.

Detectives from the Child Protection and Investigation Unit along with Scenes of Crimes officers continue to investigate the incident which started around 6.45pm last night and resolved around 6.15am this morning.

A crime scene has been declared with Scenes of Crime officers at the facility obtaining video and photographic evidence.

Detectives are currently interviewing witnesses and suspects, as well as reviewing extensive CCTV footage.

Twenty youths have been identified by police as committing offences and remain at the facility. It is expected some of the youths may face charges ranging from rioting with a circumstance of aggravation, threatening violence, wilful damage/destruction and assault related offences.

The investigation is ongoing and expected to take some time to finalise as it involves a large number of people to be interviewed and evidence to be reviewed.

An Investigation Centre has been established at Townsville Police Station with the investigation named Operation Oscar Trigon.

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UPDATE 10.55AM: The wife of one of the injured Cleveland Youth Detention Centre workers has confirmed her husband has lost sight in one eye.

The woman told the Townsville Bulletin just moments ago that her husband was now permanently blind in one eye after he was hit by a rock thrown by one of the rioting youths last night.

I've just spoken to the wife of the youth worker who was hit with a rock - he will be permanently blind in 1 eye for the rest of his life.

— Chris McMahon (@ChrisTheJourno1) November 11, 2016

UPDATE 10.30AM: Shadow Attorney-General Ian Walker has accused the Palaszczuk Government of “losing control” of the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and Queensland’s youth justice system.

Mr Walker said not only are kids running riot in the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre - they are also running riot in the streets of Townsville.

“Labor has totally lost control of our youth justice system – they’ve weakened our youth justice reforms and the people of North Queensland are the victims,” Mr Walker said.

“Now we have the spectacle of youth detainees taking control of the centre and severely injuring staff in the process.

“It is obvious Labor can’t manage our youth detention centres.

“One can only imagine what’s going to happen when 49 hardened juvenile offenders are relocated to these centres from the adult system – with no policy and no budget as to how they will be managed – costing taxpayers up to $400 million.

“It is not as though these young criminals wanted anything of significance - they simply wanted some KFC and cannabis.

Mr Walker said the riot overnight was the second at the centre in the past three months.

“The LNP is still waiting for the briefing from the first riot on August 19,” he said.

“How many reviews does it take for this utterly incompetent government to act?

“Our youth detention system is spiraling out of control as Minister D’Ath dithers around, unable to manage her large portfolio responsibilities.

“We know that our jails have turned into fight clubs because of overcrowding, now our youth detention centres are out of control as well.

“Queenslanders are fed-up with a government that is soft on crime and unwilling to keep them safe.”

***

UPDATE 7.50AM: The group of youths who rioted at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre last night have come down from the roof after an overnight stand-off.

A Youth Justice Queensland spokesperson said all of the juveniles involved had been secured.

“The last two young people came down from the roof about 6.25am,” the spokesperson said.

“The centre remains in lockdown while youth workers assess the level of damage that occurred as a result of the incident.

“An internal investigation will be conducted in relation to the circumstances surrounding the incident. A police investigation is also continuing.”

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath will travel to Townsville this morning to meet with management and staff of the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.

Mrs D’Ath said the centre remained in lockdown, with ongoing security checks underway.

“There will be an internal investigation into the incident and I will not pre-empt the outcome of the investigation,” Mrs D’Ath said.

Earlier, Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles said the cause of the riot was unclear.

“There was a disturbance involving two or three young people at the centre,” he said.

“And then a cohort of between 20 and 25 young people started to behave in an erratic manner.”

Det Sen Sgt Miles said the group armed themselves with various items as they damaged sections of the centre.

He said 25 centre staff were removed after being hit with various projectiles. Several were taken to hospital with cuts and bruises.

Det Sen Sgt Miles said the youths demands had been “varied and erratic” ranging from demands for games and entertainment, to food priviliges, even illicit substances.

“There is no real pattern to what they are saying,” he said at the time.

“Their whole purpose is to incite police in to doing something towards them, to incite a response.

“It is something we are used to. We don’t respond to it.”

I've just been told a guard at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre may lose an eye after being hit in the head by a projectile last night.

— Chris McMahon (@ChrisTheJourno1) November 10, 2016

WARNING: Offensive Language

I've been told it has been going like this for hours. Abhorrent behaviour by kids who have torn the heart out of this city through crime pic.twitter.com/LkTittzSq1

— Chris McMahon (@ChrisTheJourno1) November 10, 2016

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EARLIER: GUARDS locked themselves in a room at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre for their own safety as rioting detainees went on a rampage last night.

The drama was still unfolding late last night as police entered the detention centre to escort the guards out.

It could not be confirmed how many guards needed to be rescued, but it was believed to be about 20.

The out-of-control riot began about 5.30pm, when it is believed more than a dozen youths climbed on to roofs at the detention centre.

Young detainees, some of them wielding steel poles and other objects were seen standing on roofs chanting “f--- the police” and “f--- the system” for several hours. They had also broken into vending machines and sprayed fire extinguishers.

There was no indication last night what had started the riot.

Police said in a statement last night that up to 25 youths were involved with the detention centre put into lockdown.

“The majority of staff were evacuated with a number receiving minor injuries as a result of being struck by projectiles,” the statement read.

Riot at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre forced police to block the road.

Officers blocked traffic travelling down Old Common Road, while police dogs were also brought in.

Some of the youths bragged about the damage they were doing, claiming they had stolen from vending machines. One youth threw a bottle of Fanta soft drink at a nearby police officer on a motorbike. Police took to megaphones to try and calm the youths, saying they could guarantee their safety if they came down from the buildings.

However the negotiation was met with more hostility, when the youths yelled back profanities and refused to come down. The rampage was so loud that nearby residents came to see what was going on.

More than 20 cars were parked near the detention centre as onlookers, including children, watched the dramatic scene unfold.

Chris Lynch and Jake Martens watched the riot from the early evening until about 9.30pm.

“We heard them screaming out that they wanted KFC and wouldn’t come down until they got it,” Mr Lynch said. “We got here about 6pm, we saw all the police cars along Bundock Street so we decided to follow them here and see what was going on.”

Mr Martens said from what they saw and heard, the youths weren’t co-operating with police. “They weren’t having a bar of it,” he said.

“This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this happen.”

Police were still trying to negotiate with some of the youths late last night.

Originally published as Out-of-control youth detainees riot into the night