Updated statement, Saturday 16 August
Please attribute to Leigh Marsh, Commissioner Custodial Services
Corrections staff did an excellent job safely bringing this afternoon’s incident at Spring Hill Corrections Facility to an end, without any injury to staff or prisoners.
At approximately 3.30pm on Saturday 16 August, a group of prisoners refused to exit the exercise yard and lit a small number of fires. By approximately 5.30pm, all prisoners had exited the yard and were secured. The small fires are out.
The incident was contained to the yard, and there was no threat to the safety of the public or the wider prison.
The are no reports of injury to staff and prisoners.
This behaviour will not be tolerated and the prisoners involved will be held to account. Corrections will carry out a review into the incident, and will also refer the matter to Police.
We would like to acknowledge the support of our colleagues at FENZ, Police and Hato Hone St John in responding to this afternoon’s incident.
Note: In our original statement we reported that the incident involved ten prisoners. This has since been revised to eleven prisoners.
Initial statement, Saturday 16 August
Please attribute to Leigh Marsh, Commissioner Custodial Services
Corrections staff are dealing with an incident involving ten prisoners at Spring Hill Corrections Facility. Some of the prisoners are refusing to exit an exercise yard and are damaging prison property.
The prisoners have lit several small fires on the concrete in the exercise yard they are in, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand are in attendance.
The prison has been locked down as a precaution. The incident is contained to the yard, and there is no threat to the safety of the public or the wider prison.
The are no reports of injury to staff and prisoners, however, St Johns is on site as a precaution.
Our Advanced Control & Restraint team with specialist capability has been dispatched to the site to assist if necessary, and we have comprehensive procedures for managing incidents where prisoners refuse to comply with staff orders.
We’ll provide further updates as necessary.