A custodial correctional officer was taken to hospital after he was bitten by a prisoner at Townsville Correctional Centre yesterday.
A prisoner was in the Detention Unit yesterday afternoon and when officers were conducting a welfare check on him, he bit an officer on the arm.
The officer was taken to the medical centre and then to hospital for treatment.
The prisoner was transported to hospital for unrelated self-inflicted injuries.
Management and senior officers are continuing to support the officer, their family and their colleagues.
New legislation passed by Parliament in July increased the maximum penalty for serious assault on a corrective services officer with aggravating circumstances in line with assaulting a police officer and other front line service officers.
Aggravating circumstances include biting, spitting and throwing bodily materials and causing bodily harm and the offence now carries a maximum penalty of 14 years.
Prisoners who assault officers may face additional criminal charges and further prison time.
They are also subject to internal disciplinary processes, including loss of privileges.
Queensland Corrective Services is a front line public safety agency and our officers interact with the most challenging and complex people in our society 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.
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.
When an officer is injured on duty, Queensland Corrective Services is committed to supporting the officer and their family while they recover.
