Flash bombs, chemical spray used to subdue detainees at Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre
Posted
Guards have used flash bombs and chemical spray to subdue a group of detainees in the latest incident at Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre.
Seven detainees were involved in the violence on Saturday afternoon, which included throwing bricks at guards and smashing windows in the facility's Jasper Wing, the Department of Corrective Services has confirmed.
A departmental spokesman said the chemical spray was used after permission was granted from the Corrective Services Commissioner.
He also said there were no injuries and the damage had not been fully assessed, but the latest incident would be investigated.
It is the latest in a series of riots and incidents at the centre, including two in one week in late August.
The Community and Public Sector Union said staff had reported over 45 assaults at the centre since the start of the year and believed the damage bill had totalled about $750,000.
Corrective services minister Joe Francis said some detainees at Banksia Hill were exceptionally hard to manage.
"They don't reason right from wrong, some of them have significant development disorders, very hard to manage," he said.
Mr Francis said he had confidence in those who manage the facility.
"Of course I'm concerned about when things go wrong in any detention facility, but I am confident that the commissioner has the right team in place to manage exceptionally difficult children," he said.
"Some staff say they don't feel safe to work there.
"I've turned up there in the last two weeks, walked around the playing field, without a panic button, without a duress button, without an escort, walked around while 50 odd kids were kicking the footy around and I felt safer there than I do in some parts of Australia."
Corrective Services Commissioner James McMahon said the important thing was that no staff or detainees were injured.
He said the decision to use force was never taken lightly.
"The initial response to these incidents is de-escalation and negotiation," he said in a statement.
"The controlled and professional use of force is always the last resort.
"It is also important to note that this incident was always contained within a small area and there was never any threat to the security of the facility or other young people."
The prison currently houses about 130 detainees and is WA's only juvenile detention centre.
Topics: prisons-and-punishment, canning-vale-6155
