Officers praised for management of Code Black - Capricornia

Officers praised for management of Code Black – Capricornia

Custodial officers at Capricornia Correctional Centre were today praised for managing a protest in a secure unit at the centre.

At about lunchtime today, a Code Black was initiated after eight prisoners began protesting in a secure unit containing 41 prisoners.

The group refused to obey directions from officers, and caused damage to a number of cell doors as well as covering the CCTV cameras in the unit.

Centre Emergency Response Team officers including Delta (Dog) Unit attended the code black, and officers successfully negotiated with the prisoners, who agreed to return to their cells and be locked down. This was done electronically, and the unit was secured by 3:30pm.

Damage to the unit is being assessed, and the Correctional Services Investigation Unit will investigate the protest, and the unit will remain locked down until such time as this is complete.

Acting Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner James Koulouris praised the work of the custodial staff to defuse the situation and negotiate a peaceful outcome.

"Incidents such as these can place our staff at risk. We train our officers in de-escalation and negotiation skills, and today's protest is an excellent example of how our officers manage some of the most challenging and complex people in society to keep our prisons safe and secure.

"I'd like to congratulate all of the officers involved in today's incident. They showed professionalism and judgement to negotiate a safe and peaceful outcome to what was a very tense situation," Acting Commissioner Koulouris said.

Visits at the prison were cancelled during the incident, and the unit will be operated as a detention unit until the prisoners actively involved in the protest can be transferred.