Barwon Prison: Lara precinct guard assaults on the rise

The union for prison guards has detailed a number of issues they claim are behind the shocking surge in assaults on their staff in the Lara precinct.

Assaults against prison officers working in the Lara prison precinct have spiked over the past three months according to a senior detective.

Geelong Crime Investigation Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Guthrie said the corrections unit was receiving on average 40 reports of incidents each month.

While he said the majority of incidents reported where between prisoners, he said the past few months had shown a concerning trend.

“We have seen a slight increase in the number of guards who have been assaulted over the last two to three months,” he said.

“We charge (prisoners) with the appropriate offences if a guard does get assaulted, which is assaulting an emergency service worker.”

The number of Victorian prison guards sustaining serious injuries had also risen with WorkSafe claims surging.

WorkSafe revealed that 27 claims from prison officers had been accepted in the last financial year up from 15 during the previous period.

The new data comes as two officers were assaulted at Barwon Prison on August 28 and September 7, leaving the employees hospitalised following the unrelated incidents.

The two assaults continue to be under investigation.

A Community and Public Sector Union spokesman said assault was a huge concern among the prison system.

“I’m told it is because Barwon Prison and management has cut corners on staffing numbers and importantly prisoner classification and placement issues,” he said.

“Officers can be unable to return to work and after working so hard to effectively keep Covid from getting behind the walls.”

A spokeswoman from the Department of Justice and Community Safety said violence against staff was treated extremely seriously.

“We work closely with Victoria Police and WorkSafe Victoria to provide a safe working environment for all staff,” she said.

“The Victorian Government has introduced new laws to ensure that prison officers have the same protections as emergency services workers.

“Any prisoner responsible for injuring a prison officer faces significant punishment, including extra time in prison.”

Originally published as Barwon Prison: Lara precinct guard assaults on the rise