Juveniles riot at one of WA's toughest prisons, injuring six guards

Juveniles inside one among WA’s hardest jails have injured six jail guards throughout a violent stand-off that lasted 10 hours.

Saturday’s chaos was sparked when two detainees at Casuarina Prison in Perth allegedly struck an officer within the head with a makeshift weapon, earlier than stealing her keys.

Juveniles inside one of WA's toughest jails have injured six prison guards during a violent stand-off that lasted ten hours. — The chaos unfolded at 4pm when two inmates exterior hit a youth officer with a metallic bar and took her keys to launch others from cells. (Nine)

Authorities mentioned 13 juvenile detainees assaulted the guards and broken three buildings, climbing onto roofs and throwing particles and fireplace extinguishers.

One guard, aged in his 50s, wanted to be taken to hospital with a damaged foot.

The chaos unfolded at 4pm when two inmates exterior allegedly hit a youth officer with a metallic bar and took her keys to launch others from cells.

Andy Smith from the WA Prison Officers’ Union mentioned he’d by no means heard of an incident like this within the state.

“Once a detainee gets a key it ceases to be a prison,” he mentioned.

The Specialist Operations Group was finally referred to as in, with the final inmate surrendering about 2.15 am.

The troublemakers had been being held within the grownup jail’s controversial unit 18, which was arrange for these too badly behaved for Banksia Hill Detention Centre.

But not all saved there are underage, which is one thing Premier Mark McGowan desires modified.

“When you turn 18 and you’re a juvenile, unless there’s some exceptional circumstance, you’ll be transferred to an adult prison,” he mentioned.

But as Banksia Hill undergoes a serious safety improve it is going to be months earlier than unit 18 is shut down.

9News understands the ring chief has a historical past of attacking officers, and had stolen pepper spray from one solely days earlier.

They additionally put one other feminine workers member in a headlock twice in the identical day.

“The juvenile system is in need of a massive overhaul. We can’t have them assaulting officers and then being released back into the system where they can do it again,” Smith mentioned.

The union predicts extra drama until staffing ranges are urgently elevated.

“Today Casuarina Prison is short 90 officers,” Smith mentioned.