Alice Springs corrections officers bashed, bitten, as trouble behind the wire not ‘getting any better’
Two Red Centre corrections officers have been bashed and bitten behind the wire, as the department says staffing issues are not to blame. Read the exclusive report.
A pair of corrections officers are recovering after being bitten and punched at work, and no answers are being provided as to when private staff will be heading to Alice Springs.
This masthead has been told two corrections officers were assaulted by a prisoner in maximum security on Thursday at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre.
A source says one officer was punched in the head repeatedly, while the other was bitten and had their shoulder injured.
They were reportedly sent to hospital for blood tests for the bite and to get an X-ray on their shoulder.
Up to six officers were reported to have helped restrain the prisoner, who the source described as “well built”.
The assault comes as Northern Territory prisons continue to swell, with 820 prisoners in cells at the time of the assault, the source said.
“Things aren’t getting any better,” said the source.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley said the Alice Springs watch house is expected be emptied by the end of this week.
The prisoners will be taken to a new 96-bed block in the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, which became available on Wednesday – months after it was first planned to open.
The source said the same of amount of correctional officers at the facility are handling the swell in prisoners – despite the government recently employing the services of private contractor G4S.
The Territory government awarded the private security firm the contract to help manage Territory prisoners at the beginning of March.
The move – which was opposed by the United Workers Union – come as Territory prisons experienced repeated days of record breaking numbers behind the wire.
As part of the contract, 20 private offices were sent to Darwin to assist with court escorts and prison transfers.
Yet none have arrived in Alice Springs, this masthead understands.
The office for Corrections Minister Gerard Maley directed this masthead’s questions to NT Corrections, who confirmed the two officers sustained injuries during “an incident”.
“Two officers suffered injuries and attended hospital as per the incident management protocol. Both officers returned to the workplace after their hospital consults on Thursday and for their next rostered duty Friday,” they said.
“This incident was not related to staff shortages.”
The corrections spokesperson said G4S officers will begin in Darwin on March 24, and the partnership is being “implemented under a phased approach”, but did not mention when they would be coming to Alice Springs.
“The outsourcing of workforce to deliver these functions, enables Corrections to increase its staffing numbers inside the wire. This is further supported by ongoing recruitment for Trainee Correctional Officers and Experienced Correctional Officers,” they said.
Since July 2024, an additional 29 correctional officers started work in Alice Springs, with an additional 18 trainees starting in the same time, the spokesperson said.
G4S was contacted for comment.
More Coverage
Originally published as Alice Springs corrections officers bashed, bitten, as trouble behind the wire not ‘getting any better’
Join the conversation
Criticism landmark DV report being ‘ignored’ by govt
Read more
‘World-class’ Darwin Comedy Fest line-up revealed
Read more