Officer assaulted, Maryborough Correctional Centre
A custodial correctional officer has received medical treatment following an incident with a prisoner at Maryborough Correctional Centre yesterday.
The prisoner, who was resisting directions while being escorted to the detention unit after verbally threatening staff, spat in the officer’s face.
Officers quickly restrained the prisoner and he was escorted to the detention unit for medical treatment for superficial, self-inflicted injuries.
The officer was assessed at the MCC medical centre and then transported to hospital for further treatment.
Management and senior officers are continuing to support the officer, his family and his colleagues.
Prisoners who assault officers may face additional criminal charges and further prison time.
They are also subject to internal disciplinary processes, including loss of privileges.
New legislation passed by Parliament in July increased the maximum penalty for serious assault on a corrective services officer with aggravating circumstances in line with assaulting a police officer and other front-line service officers.
Aggravating circumstances include biting, spitting and throwing bodily materials, and the offence now carries a maximum penalty of 14 years.
Queensland Corrective Services is a front line public safety agency and our officers interact with the most challenging and complex people in our society to ensure the safety and security of the community.
We are thankful for their commitment, and for the important role they play in making Queensland safer for all of us.
Officer safety is Queensland Corrective Services’ absolute priority. Every officer deserves to go home safely at the end of shift.
We take our responsibility as an employer to support our officers through appropriate training and provision of equipment, technology, and policy support very seriously, but recognise that we cannot remove all risk from the workplace due to the dynamic nature of correctional environments.
When an officer is injured on duty, QCS is committed to supporting the officer and their family while they recover.