Serious Fire at the Alexander Maconochie Centre on 12 May 2021
8 April 2022
On 12 May 2021 an incident occurred at the Alexander Maconochie Centre in a double storey, high security-rated cell block when several detainees were allegedly drunk on ‘home brew’ becoming heightened over an afternoon. Some of these detainees started acting aggressively towards Corrections Officers, and fires were lit in the unit causing thick smoke and damage. Officers withdrew from the unit, and AMC staff fought the fires from outside the unit. For the first time in AMC’s history, OC (“pepper”) spray was used on detainees who were attempting to hinder firefighting efforts.
OICS notes that whilst it is fortunate that no staff or detainees sustained any serious physical injuries, this incident has had a significant impact, including the estimated repair bill of over $3.7 million, and the operational impact of forcing a large unit offline for almost a year in an already crowded jail.
It is concerning that on the day in question, almost all detainees were in their unit during the day. In other jails detainees would be engaged across the jail in work, industries, education, programs, recreation, and other activities. Lack of a so-called ‘structured day’ for this unit was undoubtedly a contributing factor to the unrest.
The review noted some improvements in AMC’s management of an incident of this kind particularly through improved senior command structures, however, many of the recommendations and lessons identified from a riot in November 2020 were yet to be fully implemented.
The review makes 4 recommendations .
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