CERU report confirms Department's findings

Chief Executive Mark Byers welcomes the comprehensive report released by the State Services Commissioner on the Department of Corrections' handling of the Canterbury Emergency Response Unit (CERU), saying the report confirms many of the Department's own conclusions.

The CERU was a temporary unit disbanded in June 2000 after a lifespan of only 12 months. An inquiry into the CERU was announced by the State Services Commissioner last year.

Mr Byers says the Department has long acknowledged that mistakes were made.

"As this report and our own findings concluded, serious mistakes were made regarding management and oversight of the CERU.

"We also accept that the CERU breached requirements and fell short of expected standards for the management of inmates."

Mr Byers says the Department has made changes to address inmate management issues arising from the CERU, including issuing new instructions for activities such as strip searching, use of handcuffs, and better monitoring of compliance with standards. A complete review has been undertaken of use of force (control and restraint) policies and procedures, and a revised system is being implemented.

"A number of other substantive changes have been made since the CERU was disbanded in June 2000 to ensure a CERU-type situation cannot occur again."

Key changes include:

• A new regional management structure, in which Regional Managers report to the General Manager PPS and strengthened performance management systems
• A risk management framework with national reporting and monitoring
• New management systems to ensure robust financial and project management
• A new finance and administration structure, as well as new budget setting and approval systems that require staff and structure changes to be approved at a national level
• Leadership and management development programmes for all managers
• New quality assurance manager roles in each prison region on a national basis.

Senior managers have been held to account for the management failures associated with the CERU through the Department's performance management system. As a consequence those managers have been financially penalised.

Mr Byers says the report will be thoroughly reviewed to assess whether there are any further matters that may still need to be addressed.

"If there are any outstanding issues, appropriate action will be taken immediately. The report will also go to the Department’s independent Assurance Board.”

The Assurance Board will be responsible for monitoring any action that might be required in response to the report’s findings.

"The Department has always been concerned to address the issues associated with the CERU. However, there were clearly areas for improvement in the way the matter was handled. This is regretted and the lessons learnt."

Mr Byers says he hopes the release of the report will bring closure to the matter and allow those involved to move forward.