Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) can confirm a custodial correctional officer was injured yesterday afternoon after being approached by a prisoner at Woodford Correctional Centre today.
The prisoner approached the officer after he failed to comply with a direction and struck an officer in the face.
Other officers assisted and restrained the prisoner but were forced to use chemical agents on other prisoners who advanced towards officers.
The officer was assessed at the medical centre and is receiving further medical attention.
Management and senior officers are continuing to support the officer, their family and their colleagues.
Unfortunately from time to time our officers are required to put themselves in harm’s way to ensure the safety and security of the community.
We are thankful for their commitment, and for the important role they play in making Queensland safer for all of us.
Every day our officers interact with the most challenging and complex people in our society.
Officer safety is Queensland Corrective Services’ absolute priority. Every officer deserves to go home safely at the end of shift.
We take our responsibility as an employer to support our officers through appropriate training and provision of equipment, technology, and policy support very seriously, but recognise that we cannot remove all risk from the workplace due to the dynamic nature of correctional environments.
People who have been removed from society for violent or anti-social behaviour sometimes display that same behaviour in a prison environment, despite the best efforts of our officers to de-escalate situations.
When an officer is injured on duty, QCS is committed to supporting the officer and their family while they recover.
