Officer injured, Townsville Correctional Centre

A custodial correctional officer is receiving treatment following an incident with a prisoner at Townsville Correctional Centre yesterday.

Around 4.10pm, a prisoner was being escorted to the Detention Unit when he became non-compliant and threw a number punches at officers, striking one in the side of the head several times.

The prisoner was restrained by officers using force and was escorted to the Detention Unit.

The officer was taken to the medical centre and has received further medical treatment for abrasions and bruising.

CSIU are investigating.

Management and senior officers are continuing to support the officer, their family and their 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.