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Prison officers in Australian state forced to quit in corruption crackdown

Xinhua, January 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Prison officers in Western Australia (WA) are being sacked or choosing to resign in worrying numbers following increased efforts by the government to reduce corruption.

Figures released by the WA Department of Corrective Services on Tuesday have revealed six officers were fired last year for offences ranging from drug trafficking, assaults on inmates, drug use on the job and unlawful computer access.

A further 11 prison officers resigned in 2015 after being investigated for misconduct, while the future of six others remain in limbo as allegations against them are ongoing.

The figures paint a different story to those released in 2014 where no officers were sacked, which was before the new range of corruption investigation and enforcement measures were introduced. The most significant of the new measures was the re-establishment of a dedicated police unit aimed at diminishing corruption in WA prisons.

"I am not proud of the fact that I have to dismiss people, but if your behavior is not appropriate ... you are not going to stay in corrections. It is as simple as that," Corrective Services Commissioner James McMahon told the West Australian newspaper on Tuesday.

"It is a very, very small percentage (who do the wrong thing) and good prison officers do not want to be working next to those people."

Under the new measures officers will face scrutiny for their conduct outside of work hours, with one recently losing his job after being convicted of domestic violence against his partner who was a fellow prison officer.

McMahon determined the officer was not a fit and proper person to hold a position within the department.

Prison officers will also be subject to random drug testing from the middle of this year which is likely to result in an increase in resignations or dismissals.

One of the prison officers who resigned while under investigation was charged over an alleged conspiracy to possess 1 kg of methamphetamine, more commonly known as ice. The case is yet to go before the courts.

Another officer also quit after discovering he was under investigation for trafficking drugs and contraband into jails. Endit