New guards on the block as 27 join ranks at Townsville jail

A new wave of frontline recruits is stepping into duty at Townsville’s correctional facilities, with 27 freshly trained Custodial Correctional Officers now ready to serve.

Tabea Ireland and Eric Wilken, custodial correctional officer graduates who will be posted to Townsville Correctional complex. Picture: Shae Beplate.

A new wave of frontline recruits is stepping into duty at Townsville’s correctional facilities, with 27 freshly trained Custodial Correctional Officers now ready to serve.

After wrapping up an intensive 10-week training course, the new officers have officially graduated from the Custodial Officer Entry Program and are set to be deployed to the Townsville Correctional Complex.

Armed with essential skills in conflict management and tactical response, the cohort is prepped to play a key role in prisoner rehabilitation and public safety.

Among the new recruits is Tabea Ireland, originally from Germany, who’s made the leap into corrections and will now work at the women’s facility.

“We had an amazing trainer, they prepared us really well for the role,” she said.

“I’m excited for the career change and working with the female prisoners.”

Fellow graduate Eric Wilken, who brings prior experience from New South Wales, said the training’s tactical edge left him feeling ready for anything.

“We had a lot of intelligence briefings and tactical training — we know how to defend ourselves and other officers,” he said.

“I’m a bit of a people person, I love to talk and apparently that’s a good thing working in the jail.”

“It’s a changing environment. There’s no day like the next. I’m just ready to adapt and see what comes our way.”

The new CCOs will work to help break the cycle of reoffending by managing prisoners safely and securely — with a strong focus on rehabilitation, behaviour change, and reintegration into the community.

Townsville Correctional Complex General Manager, Chief Superintendent Louise Kneeshaw, welcomed the new class with pride.

“Our officers are our greatest asset, and we strive to ensure they are supported as they carry

out their often unseen duties,” she said.

“Every interaction our officers have is an opportunity to address offending behaviour and to

improve the vocational and life skills of prisoners, assisting in their rehabilitation and safe

reintegration back into the community.”

Originally published as New guards on the block as 27 join ranks at Townsville jail