Queensland Corrective Services Photo Shoot 2014

Officer injured at Capricornia Correctional Centre

Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) can confirm a custodial correctional officer was injured in a confrontation with a prisoner at Capricornia Correctional Centre this afternoon.

A prisoner was attending the health centre when he became agitated and spat in a male officer’s face.

He was restrained without further incident and was taken to the Detention Unit.

The officer was assessed by staff at the health centre and was then referred to hospital for further treatment.

The centre management is providing support to the officer, his family and his colleagues.

The matter will be referred to the CSIU.

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.

Unfortunately from time to time our officers are required to put themselves in harm’s way 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.

Every day our officers interact with the most challenging and complex people in our society.

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.

People who have been removed from society for violent or anti-social behaviour sometimes display that same behaviour in a prison environment, despite the best efforts of our officers to de-escalate situations.