Tornado Alley (PROG)

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[Australia] New unit to crack down on prison corruption

Grant McArthur, Mark Buttler
From: Herald Sun
August 18, 2012 12:00AM

A NEW corruption-busting unit will be rolled out to tackle
organised crime inside and outside the state's jails.

Security failures were exposed by the murder of drug kingpin Carl Williams in Barwon Prison on April 19, 2010.

The State Government now plans to deploy an elite squad to lead a jailhouse crackdown amid fears that crime has flourished largely unchecked in the state's prisons for more than a decade.

As well as detecting crime inside the prison system, it is hoped the strengthened intelligence-gathering unit will uncover links to organised crime on the outside.

The Department of Justice is seeking a director of security and intelligence to head the unit, which also will see three specialist intelligence analysts based at jails.

One will be inside Barwon Prison, where an alleged drug ring involving corrupt guards and killer bikie Christopher Wayne Hudson was exposed last month.

The measures form part of the Government's response to a damning Ombudsman's report on failures surrounding Williams's death and the collapse of major police investigations he was assisting.

The Herald Sun also has learned of concerns within law enforcement and the Government that scant attention was directed to prison intelligence in the past decade, including the disbanding of the prison squad.

Only two convictions were pursued against corrections officers in the past 13 years, compared with seven convictions from 1988-98.

Corrections Minister Andrew McIntosh said the Government was determined to tackle prison crime head-on.

An advisory panel of Corrections officials, police Assistant Commissioner Steve Fontana and an independent member will oversee high-risk prisoners to avoid situations such as the placement of Williams in a unit with his killer, Matthew Johnson.

Former chief commissioner Neil Comrie alerted Corrections Victoria chiefs to intelligence failings in a secret 2009 report.

Only a few of his 32 recommendations were acted on before Williams was bashed to death, prompting Victoria's Ombudsman to raise many of the same systemic failings in April.

A former prison squad detective said the force needed designated investigators. "They (specialist investigators) know who's who in the zoo," he said.

"We had a prison squad 15 years ago. Now we don't, and we're going to have something like twice the number of criminals in a few years."

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JAIL BREACH

May 1988, Pentridge: Prison Officer Neville Whipps serves three months for introducing drugs into Pentridge.

August 1988, Pentridge: Prison Officer John Polidoros sentenced to 6 years for trafficking drugs into Pentridge Prison.

October 1989, Pentridge: Prison Officer Clive Weinberg received 15 months for trafficking drugs outside the prison.

March 1993, Melbourne Remand Centre: Prison Officer Heather Parker sentenced to 5 years and 4 months for helping prisoners Peter Gibb and Archie Butterly escaped.

April 1995, Metropolitan Reception Prison: Prison Officer Eric Dexter fined for taking a packet of marijuana through South Gate after purchasing it from an undercover Police officer.

September 1998, Langi Kal Kal: Prison Officer Darren Holmes helped prisoner Scott Dawsan escape and is later convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

October 1998, Barwon: Prison Officer Stuart Innes sentenced to 3 years and 3 months for attempted bribery and bribery relating to taking a mobile phone and other items to prisoner Greg Brazel.

May 2007, Port Phillip Prison: A kitchen supervisor is sentenced to 4 years for taking a gun and drugs into the prison for gangland contacts several years earlier.

August 2010, Dame Phyllis Frost Centre: A prison guard charged with offences relating to allegations of trafficking heroin and amphetamines after an investigation by police and corrections officers. No trial yet conducted.

July 2012, Barwon Prison: Charges laid against two prison officers following an eight-month investigation into an alleged drug ring with killer bikie Christopher Wayne Hudson and one of Australia's most feared hitmen.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/true-crime-scene/new-unit-to-crack-down-on-prison-corruption/story-fnat7jnn-1226452919571