Auckland Prison inmates start three fires over the weekend

Auckland Prison at Paremoremo is New Zealand's only maximum security correctional facility and houses some of the country's worst offenders. Photo / Doug Sherring

• Inmates started three separate fires at Auckland Prison, but Corrections says they weren’t co-ordinated.
• All three fires were quickly extinguished, with no injuries and minimal damage reported.
• The inmates face internal charges, and one fire will be referred to police for potential prosecution.

Inmates started three separate fires inside New Zealand’s toughest prison over the weekend.

But Corrections says there is nothing to suggest the blazes were a co-ordinated effort to protest, or start a riot like the fire which caused millions of dollars in damage at Waikeria Prison four years ago.

Staff at Auckland Prison at Paremoremo were alerted to the first fire around 8.30pm on Saturday. An inmate had managed to ignite something outside of their cell door, which Corrections officers managed to extinguish quickly.

An hour later, a different prisoner in the same unit started a second fire in similar circumstances.

Again, staff extinguished the flames quickly.

“In both incidents, there was no threat to the wider security of the prison, no injuries, and no damage to the cells or prison property,” said Steve Parr, the general manager of Auckland Prison.

The next day, a third prisoner in a different unit started fires in their cell. Parr said these were quickly put out by staff.

Again, there were no injuries but the interior of the cell was damaged and is currently being assessed for repairs.

All three inmates will face internal misconduct charges, and Parr said the third fire will be referred to police for potential prosecution.

“Auckland Prison is New Zealand’s only maximum security prison and houses some of New Zealand’s most difficult to manage people who can behave unpredictably and act without warning,” Parr said.

“It is not uncommon for these prisoners to go to extreme lengths to continue causing harm from within prison, including through lighting fires, but we have robust processes in place to ensure we can safely manage and resolve these incidents.”

There was “no information” to suggest these incidents were co-ordinated or connected in any way, Parr said. For security reasons, he would not comment on how the inmates were able to start the fires.

The fires marked the four-year anniversary of the riot at Waikeria Prison, south of Hamilton, which caused an estimated $50 million of damage.

Last week, 12 inmates at Waikeria were caught drinking home brew on Christmas Eve.

Ten of the prisoners have since been placed in segregation and two have been moved to other prisons, prison general manager Jim Watson said.

All 12 were charged with misconduct.

Jared Savage is an award-winning journalist who covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006, and is the author of Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise.