Two Corrections Officers have received burns after rescuing a prisoner at Christchurch Women’s Prison who lit fire to her cell bedding last night.

"Staff responded to a report of smoke in one of the prison wings and managed to extinguish the fire in the prisoner’s cell. Two officers removed the prisoner from her cell, sustaining minor burns – one to an officer’s hand and the other to an officer’s foot,” Corrections’ Chief Executive Ray Smith says.

“Our staff are fully trained to deal with these kinds of situations and I am impressed with the speed and total professionalism in which staff operated in this instance. It is, however, incredibly frustrating to have to deal with the kind of needless damage and risk to staff safety caused by these kind of incidents.”

Mr Smith says the implementation of the prison smoking ban on 1 July this year will prevent incidents like this by making lighters and matches contraband.

“While the key rationale for the ban is to increase the health and safety of staff and prisoners, a substantial number of incidents in prisons involve prisoners using cigarette lighters or matches to start fires, trigger smoke detectors, smoke illicit drugs and make weapons. The ban will put a stop to this kind of destructive behaviour.

“Eight cells remain sealed off due to smoke damage and the cost to repair the damage is not yet known,” Mr Smith says.
In the last year, there have been around 50 incidents of fire or arson in New Zealand prisons.

Once the smoking ban is implemented, prisoners will no longer be able to smoke and there will be a total ban on smoking and possession of cigarette papers, matches and lighters for prisoners.

ENDS

© Scoop Media