Officer injured, Townsville Correctional Centre

QCS can confirm that an officer received injuries following an interaction with a prisoner at Townsville Correctional Centre this morning.

The officer, who had entered a cell to engage with an agitated prisoner, retreated after the prisoner lashed out at him. While withdrawing from the cell, the officer caught his fingers in the cell door.

The officer was taken to Townsville Hospital for treatment of his injured fingers, which required stitches. It is understood he also suffered some facial bruising from the initial interaction with the prisoner.

Management and senior officers are continuing to support the officer.

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.