Corrections officers hospitalised, allegedly attacked with shiv made by Don Dale detainees
A PAIR of Don Dale Youth Detention Centre officers were rushed to hospital after allegedly being attacked with a shiv
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A PAIR of Don Dale Youth Detention Centre officers were rushed to hospital after allegedly being attacked with a shiv by a group of detainees.
The NT News understands a group of inmates allegedly made a shiv by sharpening a metal item found inside the facility.
They then used it to attack the two officers around 6pm last Wednesday.
The attack is understood to have sent the centre into lockdown. A St John Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed two people were transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital from Don Dale on Wednesday night.
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Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Brett Cottier said three youths have each been charged with unlawfully causing serious harm and two counts of assaulting a worker causing harm.
They are all set to appear in court at a later date.
A spokeswoman for Territory Families, Housing and Communities, which manages Don Dale, said the incident involved four youths in an accommodation block at the Centre.
“Youth Justice Officers managed the situation in accordance with their training, resolving the incident and securing the affected accommodation block within 15 minutes,” the spokeswoman said.
“Due to the training received by our Youth Justice Officers, incidents within the Northern Territory’s youth detention centres are very infrequent. However, when they do occur, they are handled expertly and quickly to minimise safety and security issues for staff, young people and visitors in the centres.”
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The spokeswoman confirmed there were 29 detainees in the centre at the time of the alleged attack, up from 25 which was the number of detainees around this time last year.
The $55m tender to build a new youth prison was awarded to Halikos Group in July.
It comes after findings from a Royal Commission, handed down in 2017, found Don Dale was unsuitable to house kids and should be closed as soon as possible.
The new centre is expected to be completed by mid 2022.
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