GUARDS TO CHILD INMATES: ‘You’re oxygen thieves and camp dogs’

OXYGEN thieves, “camp dogs” and “black poofters”. They’re just some of the names guards yelled at child inmates in an Australian detention centre.

Screen shots of CCTV footage taken from inside inmate Dylan Voller's cell at Don Dale Youth Detention Centre.

GUARDS regularly swore at child inmates and called them “oxygen thieves, camp dogs and black poofters”, the Northern Territory Royal Commission into Youth Detention has heard.

The Royal Commission heard on Friday from a panel of four former Don Dale guards who detailed appalling conditions for detainees.

Former guard Greg Harmer said officers on a power trip regularly swore at kids, calling them “oxygen thieves”, “camp dogs” and racial slurs including “black poofter”.

The Commission heard that guards screened graphically violent movies including Grand Theft Auto for the kids, many of whom were in detention for stealing cars.

Female inmates reportedly couldn’t keep sanitary items in their cells and were too embarrassed to ask male staff for tampons, the court heard.

“Deliriously tired” staff sometimes fell asleep on the job after being forced to do back to back double shifts which were physically and emotionally exhausting. About 95 per cent of inmates were indigenous, yet there was limited cultural competence training for the mostly white guards, and the elders visiting program was rarely enforced.

“We had an Aboriginal, not a full blood Aboriginal but a half caste person come in and conduct an awareness program ... for one day,” Mr Harmer said.

The commission heard that some staff enjoyed the power trip of being in charge of detainees at the centre, and would make the children wait to go to the toilet.

Former youth justice officer Louise Inglis said:

“One officer made a comment to me once that ‘why should we make these little f***ers’ lives nice in here when they’ve caused so much torment outside?’

“I said, ‘we’re here to supervise and look after them in a secure environment’, and ‘read their files, see what they’ve done, but don’t let it cloud your treatment of them’.”

“That “little f***er” might have just wet his pants or pooed in his bed, but that sort of, ‘I’ve got you right there and you’re going to stay there, sonny’ [attitude].

“I’m not painting everyone with the same brush, but there were certainly a number of male officers and it seemed their main purpose was to wield power over others.”

Originally published as GUARDS TO CHILD INMATES: ‘You’re oxygen thieves and camp dogs’