Spate of assaults in Qld prisons leave guards on edge

Queensland prison guards are living on edge after a spate of sickening attacks this week. It comes after four assaults on prison staff last month, allegedly sparked by a “weak” punishment handed out to a violent inmate.

Queensland prison guards are concerned they’re increasingly becoming the target of violent attacks.

THREE incidents, including an officer being spat on and the hospitalisation of a female guard, have taken place inside Queensland prisons this week.

The female corrections officer was hospitalised during an incident at Borallon Training and Correctional Centre on Tuesday.

The officer was transferring a patient between units when he refused to comply with a direction, according to Queensland Corrective Services.

Officers attempted to restrain the prisoner when the guard suffered injuries to her shoulder, rib and knee.

“At this stage it appears the injuries occurred as a result of the use of force, rather than an assault by the prisoner, however the matter is under investigation by the CSIU,” a statement from QCS read. 

“The officer was taken to hospital for assessment and is receiving treatment and is being offered support by the management team and the employee support service provider.”

The incident happened in the same week as an assault at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre near Cairns that saw an officer spat on by an inmate.

An officer at Brisbane Correctional Centre was also punched in the face while he was walking a prisoner to his cell on Sunday.

“It is actually getting increasingly worse,” one officer told The Courier-Mail.

Last month, there were more than four assaults on prison staff in the wake of a “weak” sentence handed down to an inmate who bashed a guard “within an inch of his life”.

Prison officers told The Courier-Mail at the time that inmates viewed the jail term handed down to Woodford inmate Brian Lafaitele last week as “a joke” after he bashed Woodford prison officer Greg Sands.

This has led to a spike in assaults on officer, sources said.