Waikeria prison uprising: Rioting inmates haven t been given any food
The enterance to Waikeria Prison near Te Awamutu. Photo / Michael Craig
Waikeria prison uprising: Rioting inmates haven t been given any food Wed, 30 Dec 2020, 2:39PM
The Department of Corrections only learnt about a riot at Waikeria Prison after they were contacted by the media yesterday afternoon.
It s believed the riot could have started due to prisoners having a lack of access to phones but Corrections had received no pre-warnings or formal complaints.
The stand-off continues at the Waikato prison, with inmates believed to now have full control of a wing.
Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot says they received the call at midday yesterday.
Waikeria prison
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
The Department of Corrections says 21 prisoners were involved - four surrendered but 17 are still refusing to co-operate.
It is New Zealand s biggest prison riot in seven years - and it started with a tip.
Corrections received a call on Tuesday at lunchtime, telling them a riot might soon break out at Waikeria Prison, near Te Awamutu.
Staff took a look and could not find any issues. But Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot said matters escalated quickly. A short time later, prisoners in an exercise yard in the top jail, the high security part of the site, lit several small fires, he told reporters at a press conference yesterday.
Waikeria Prison uprising: Tense stand-off heads into third day
30 Dec, 2020 06:27 PM
4 minutes to read
NZ Herald
Prisoners have been rioting since Tuesday afternoon, and 17 prisoners remain non-compliant.
The damage the prisoners have caused to Waikeria Prison is extensive - a third of its bed capacity has been destroyed.
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Rioting prisoners lit fires in an exercise yard before climbing onto the roof on Tuesday where they were continuing to cause mayhem yesterday.
Corrections said over 200 inmates had to be moved away from the burning unit to safety. So far, only four of the 21 responsible have surrendered, Lightfoot said. We are clear about the criminal wanton damage that these individuals have undertaken on property and exposed so many people to potential loss of life.
Up to 70 firefighters, multiple ambulances and specialist advance control and restraint teams have been dispatched from all over the North Island since the riot began.
Callers from within the jail told Newshub conditions in it are inhumane, a sentiment shared by the very guards they re clashing with. Corrections Association president Alan Whitley admitted: It s beyond its use by date.
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