Prisoners return to Numinbah Correctional Centre

Queensland Corrective Services can confirm that the women prisoners evacuated from Numinbah Correctional Centre during the recent bush fires have returned to the low security farm.

The 85 women and three Defence Community dogs were transported back to the centre after spending two weeks at Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre.

Commissioner Peter Martin APM said today’s operation to return the women was well planned and was executed smoothly.

“I’d like to thank the officers who went above and beyond in the past few weeks to evacuate the women safely, and to manage them within the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre,” Commissioner Martin said.

“Our officers at Numinbah Correctional Centre and Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre worked professionally to manage an unprecedented situation with minimum disruption while maintaining the safety and security of the centres.

“I’d also like to thank the Rural Fire Brigades who worked so hard in Numinbah and surrounding areas to preserve life and property. They have faced incredibly challenging conditions and have done a fabulous job to protect the community.

“Due to their hard work over the past two weeks, the low security centre was untouched by fire. By evacuating the women early, we freed up the centre to be used as a staging post for the brigades during the prolonged effort to fight the fires.

“We join the community of Numinbah in thanking them for their tireless efforts,” Commissioner Martin said.