Nemesis
07-06-2004, 06:03 PM
news.com.au (http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,10066265%255E26462,00.html)
July 7, 2004
PRISONERS at the Port Augusta prison have been secretly scaling a perimeter fence to visit friends and buy drugs, before returning to the prison undetected.
The Hogan's Heroes-style antics have occurred because senior Correctional Services Department managers opted to switch off a faulty security sensor system and not spend $75,000 replacing it.
The deactivated security sensor system - surrounding six low-security cottages which house criminals including a man convicted of one of South Australia's most notorious murders - has been turned off for the past two months, despite repeated protests from prison officers. When it was turned off, management assigned one guard to cover the cottages, but that guard is often called away to the high-security section of the complex for several hours each night - leaving the low-security prisoners unguarded.
The Correctional Services Department has been aware of the security breach for the past fortnight, after discovering one prisoner's excursion from the cottages.
The prisoner - who has admitted attending a party and buying drugs at a Port Augusta house - is facing internal disciplinary action and police charges.
While only one case has been confirmed, sources have told The Advertiser the activity "has been quite common" among a tight-knit group of prisoners living in the cottages.
Correctional Services chief executive officer Peter Severin last night conceded he did not yet know if other prisoners had been involved in the activity.
He said a full investigation was underway within the prison to determine the extent of the activity and if necessary, investigators from Adelaide would join the inquiry.
"I make no excuses for it because it is not good enough that people walk away, but in an open security environment you manage in an environment of trust," he said.
"These people are assessed as not presenting any escape risk at all, otherwise they would not be in that environment. We have no indication to confirm that this a regular occurrence and I am reasonably confident it is not, because this is atypical for an open environment.
"If there is any indication there are others, which I hope there will not be, then measures will be taken."
Public Service Association chief industrial officer Peter Christopher last night confirmed prison officers had complained about the security risk posed by switching off the security system.
"The PSA is concerned that months after the problem was identified, the problem has not yet been fixed," he said.
"Correctional Services management have been aware of a serious security risk and despite the Government's high law and order profile, a situation like this has been allowed to continue."
Sources told The Advertiser yesterday the activity was discovered after intelligence was obtained inside the prison.
Information provided to prison intelligence officers indicated a member of the public had seen a prisoner. The person had seen the inmate at a party being held at a house and the prisoner had collected a quantity of drugs, which were taken back to the prison.
The prisoner who attended the party was interviewed by prison managers and he confessed to leaving the prison at night and returning before daylight.
The prisoner told investigators he climbed the perimeter fence and then caught a taxi on the outskirts of the town. Investigators have confirmed his statement with the local taxi company.
The prisoner, who is serving a sentence for non-aggravated serious criminal trespass and breach of parole, has now been returned to a high security section of the Port Augusta prison. His non-parole period was due to expire in December, but this is being assessed and he is likely to be charged by police with escaping custody.
A police spokeswoman last night confirmed police were examining the prisoner's absence from the prison.
"We are aware of an alleged unlawful absence," the spokeswoman said.
"The person is back in custody and police are looking at the circumstances."
Port Augusta prison holds about 270 inmates. Almost 50 are held in high security while the six cottages house 24 low security prisoners.
Mr Christopher said the situation at the prison was both "unacceptable and inexcuseable".
"Most communities are concerned about having a prison within their community and the assurances they are repeatedly given by governments of the day are that those facilities are secure," he said.
"It is a matter of concern prisoners who have committed serious offences are housed in a location within the prison system whereby they can come and go as they please in the community."
Mr Severin said it was likely systems at the cottages would be changed to "make them more unpredictable".
"Prisoners very clearly develop a knowledge of patterns and routines, so we need to shake that up a bit," he said.
"We can easily do some adjustment to operational practices . . . we can do a whole range of things, certainly at Port Augusta, as a result of this."
He said the security system was turned off after "constant false alarms" because of faults.
The Advertiser
July 7, 2004
PRISONERS at the Port Augusta prison have been secretly scaling a perimeter fence to visit friends and buy drugs, before returning to the prison undetected.
The Hogan's Heroes-style antics have occurred because senior Correctional Services Department managers opted to switch off a faulty security sensor system and not spend $75,000 replacing it.
The deactivated security sensor system - surrounding six low-security cottages which house criminals including a man convicted of one of South Australia's most notorious murders - has been turned off for the past two months, despite repeated protests from prison officers. When it was turned off, management assigned one guard to cover the cottages, but that guard is often called away to the high-security section of the complex for several hours each night - leaving the low-security prisoners unguarded.
The Correctional Services Department has been aware of the security breach for the past fortnight, after discovering one prisoner's excursion from the cottages.
The prisoner - who has admitted attending a party and buying drugs at a Port Augusta house - is facing internal disciplinary action and police charges.
While only one case has been confirmed, sources have told The Advertiser the activity "has been quite common" among a tight-knit group of prisoners living in the cottages.
Correctional Services chief executive officer Peter Severin last night conceded he did not yet know if other prisoners had been involved in the activity.
He said a full investigation was underway within the prison to determine the extent of the activity and if necessary, investigators from Adelaide would join the inquiry.
"I make no excuses for it because it is not good enough that people walk away, but in an open security environment you manage in an environment of trust," he said.
"These people are assessed as not presenting any escape risk at all, otherwise they would not be in that environment. We have no indication to confirm that this a regular occurrence and I am reasonably confident it is not, because this is atypical for an open environment.
"If there is any indication there are others, which I hope there will not be, then measures will be taken."
Public Service Association chief industrial officer Peter Christopher last night confirmed prison officers had complained about the security risk posed by switching off the security system.
"The PSA is concerned that months after the problem was identified, the problem has not yet been fixed," he said.
"Correctional Services management have been aware of a serious security risk and despite the Government's high law and order profile, a situation like this has been allowed to continue."
Sources told The Advertiser yesterday the activity was discovered after intelligence was obtained inside the prison.
Information provided to prison intelligence officers indicated a member of the public had seen a prisoner. The person had seen the inmate at a party being held at a house and the prisoner had collected a quantity of drugs, which were taken back to the prison.
The prisoner who attended the party was interviewed by prison managers and he confessed to leaving the prison at night and returning before daylight.
The prisoner told investigators he climbed the perimeter fence and then caught a taxi on the outskirts of the town. Investigators have confirmed his statement with the local taxi company.
The prisoner, who is serving a sentence for non-aggravated serious criminal trespass and breach of parole, has now been returned to a high security section of the Port Augusta prison. His non-parole period was due to expire in December, but this is being assessed and he is likely to be charged by police with escaping custody.
A police spokeswoman last night confirmed police were examining the prisoner's absence from the prison.
"We are aware of an alleged unlawful absence," the spokeswoman said.
"The person is back in custody and police are looking at the circumstances."
Port Augusta prison holds about 270 inmates. Almost 50 are held in high security while the six cottages house 24 low security prisoners.
Mr Christopher said the situation at the prison was both "unacceptable and inexcuseable".
"Most communities are concerned about having a prison within their community and the assurances they are repeatedly given by governments of the day are that those facilities are secure," he said.
"It is a matter of concern prisoners who have committed serious offences are housed in a location within the prison system whereby they can come and go as they please in the community."
Mr Severin said it was likely systems at the cottages would be changed to "make them more unpredictable".
"Prisoners very clearly develop a knowledge of patterns and routines, so we need to shake that up a bit," he said.
"We can easily do some adjustment to operational practices . . . we can do a whole range of things, certainly at Port Augusta, as a result of this."
He said the security system was turned off after "constant false alarms" because of faults.
The Advertiser