Port Phillip Prison security guard was moonlighting for quarantine hotels
A Port Phillip Prison security officer could face punishment after moonlighting for one of the state’s quarantine hotels, while authorities worked desperately to keep coronavirus out of the prison system.
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A prison officer is facing sanctions after moonlighting as a security guard at a quarantine hotel.
The Port Phillip Prison worker carried out eight unapproved shifts on contract at one of the hotels in April, prompting warnings to other maximum security officers not to do the same.
G4S, the company which runs PPP, confirmed the staff member took worked for a security firm at one of the quarantine venues without management’s knowledge.
The discovery was made in recent days.
“The matter is now the subject of internal disciplinary processes,” a G4S spokeswoman said.
Authorities are desperate to keep COVID-19 out of the prison system.
Six jails are in lockdown after a staff member at the Ravenhall Correctional Centre tested positive, but privately- run Port Phillip is not one of those. Four employees at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre have also been infected.
A G4S spokeswoman said no staff or prisoners at Port Phillip Prison had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Rigorous health procedures are in place across all G4S facilities and operations including two-step temperature-checking measures for anyone entering our sites, and the requirement of all staff to wear personal protective equipment,” the spokeswoman said.
Corrections Victoria officers have been engaged recently to provide security at quarantine hotels, however their use is approved
They were brought in after a major breakdown in the quarantine system was exposed.
It has emerged some quarantine guards were hastily recruited through online advertising site Gumtree at the start of the program.
Sub-contractors used the platform to look for staff at short notice, before the breakdown linked to the community spread of coronavirus.
Advertisements, since removed, were placed on Gumtree Jobs as operators looked for people to man the hotels.
One security industry source said those who responded were referred to WhatsApp groups where they would be hired.
The source said it was standard industry practice for some operators.
“That’s how they (guards) get their work. They sit on these WhatsApp groups,” he said.
Meanwhile the quarantine hotels inquiry has rejected concerns about a potential conflict of interest after it was revealed lawyers from the Victorian government solicitor’s office would instruct inquiry counsel.
Responding to concerns raised by shadow attorney-general Ed O’Donohue, inquiry CEO Jo Rainford said conflict checks had been done on the legal team seconded from the government office.
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