Southern Queensland Correctional Centre transitions
Southern Queensland Correctional Centre (SQCC) officers were welcomed to the Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) family when the centre transitioned to public operation on 1 July.
Stage 2 of Operation Certitude, the transition of the two private prisons into public administration, has been one of the most complex and largest projects in the 170-year history of QCS.
Deputy Commissioner Organisational Capability James Koulouris thanked the project team, SQCC officers and Serco who have worked in partnership to ensure the safe and secure transition with minimal disruptions.
“This is a historical milestone for QCS and builds on the success achieved by the department when Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre transitioned last year,” Deputy Commissioner Koulouris said.
“The transition was of critical importance to QCS and the amount of work and meticulous planning that went into this is significant and a testament to our officers.
“There have been hundreds of thousands of actions, decisions, hours of training and reviews that formed part of this historic piece of work, so the magnitude of what has been achieve cannot be underestimated.
“Undertaking all these activities and logistics while the prison continued to operate safely and in the middle of a pandemic added to complexity and uniqueness of the project.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have all been able to achieve, and I am confident in the future state of corrective services in Queensland as a result of this significant undertaking.
“I also welcome the 173 officers from Serco that have joined the QCS family of over 6,000 dedicated officers as they continue to perform their vital role of keeping communities safe, which is a public service that forms an integral component of the criminal justice system.
“This is an exciting time to join QCS and I look forward to working with you all as we continue to strive towards becoming a top tier public safety agency, committed to protecting the people of Queensland.”