Remand Centre security review found flaws, but it was shelved

Security flaws that let dangerous prisoner Jason Burdon to escape from the Adelaide Remand Centre were identified in a security review two decades ago but not fixed.

Authorities failed to act on a major Adelaide Remand Centre review that identified a key security flaw which, more than two decades later, allowed a prisoner to escape.

The Advertiser can also reveal Jason Gregory Burdon’s Houdini-style escape last month came after he was left unsupervised for 35 minutes in a kitchen toilet by two Serco guards who were on duty at the time.

Burdon climbed into a ceiling space and crawled undetected to a set of air vents in the wall of the building on Philip Street.

The air vents and areas allowing access to them were identified as significant security flaws in the late 1990s security review, which also recommended steel mesh be fixed over the vents to prevent any manipulation.

Escapee Jason Burdon. Picture: SA Police

Correctional Services Minister Vincent Tarzia was made aware of the security review report after inquiries by The Advertiser but declined to comment on its content.

“I cannot speak to a report that is more than 20 years old but what I can speak to is the action this Government is taking to prevent an incident like this from ever occurring again,’’ Mr Tarzia said.

“A cure plan has been implemented to strengthen procedural weaknesses at the Adelaide Remand Centre and specialists have inspected the kitchen area to fortify infrastructure security.

“We know infrastructure vulnerabilities and failures by Serco staff gave Jason Burdon an opportunity to escape. Staff to prisoner ratios were not a factor in the incident.’’

An internal investigation into the December 1 escape has been completed but will not be released because some contents may jeopardise security at the complex.

It has found Burdon, who was recaptured at Eden Hills by STAR Group officers 34 hours after fleeing, had carefully planned his escape after identifying vulnerabilities.

He was one of four prisoners assigned to the kitchen who were under the supervision of two Serco staff.

The two Serco staff are now the subject of internal disciplinary hearings conducted by the company, which has already been fined $100,000 for breaching the terms of its contract. Mr Tarzia said the internal investigation revealed Serco failed to identify “vulnerabilities and risk’’ in the kitchen area of the remand centre and the company had also failed to adequately direct and supervise kitchen staff.

“This Government will not tolerate any escape from any correctional facility,’’ he said.

“Burdon, whose plan was premeditated, was unsupervised when he took advantage of vulnerabilities in the kitchen area. Serco has taken full responsibility for this unacceptable breach of security.

“The paramount concern of this Government is the safety and security of South Australians.”

Mr Tarzia said Serco had assigned extra managers to the remand centre and its cure plan includes upgrades to physical and electronic security.

In the days after the escape, security mesh was installed over all air vents to render them inaccessible.

The Adelaide remand centre air vents that prison Jason Burdon escaped from. Pic Tait Schmaal.

A source with knowledge of the security review report said the areas identified were “directly relevant’’ to Burdon’s escape. “The review was ordered after intelligence was obtained that indicated escapes were being planned,’’ the source said.

“It identified a number of likely breach points and areas within secure zones that could be used to access those breach points. Among them were the air vents on the Philip Street side of the complex.

“The report recommended measures to prevent access to the vents and securing mesh over the air vents manipulated to facilitate this escape.’’

The source said the review report was presented to then Correctional Services chief executive John Paget. Its recommendations were not implemented under successive governments.

Originally published as Remand Centre security review found flaws, but it was shelved