MASS ESCAPE PREVENTED

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30808, 21 July 1965, Page 1

MASS ESCAPE PREVENTED

Assistant-Commissioner A. G. Quin, head of the Auckland police, faced with the possibility of a mass escape by the 293 prisoners, then called on the Army to help quell the riot. The chief of staff of the Northern Military District, Lieutenant-Colonel I. R Diggle, rang Papakura camp and by 8 a.m. the first platoon of 30 soldiers were on guard around the prison walls. Later troops from the Ist Ranger Squadron, of the Special Air Service, joined them.

By this time firemen were attempting to fight the fire from vantage points at the main gate and on the northern wall facing Boston road When the prisoners saw the

firemen on the wall they resumed hurling wreckage. Again the firemen had to retreat and the prisoners sang bawdy songs in triumph. Heroic Warders Warders again entered the blazing building to make sure that no-one was trapped inside the cells. Some had returned to their cells and were quickly herded out. The superintendent of the prison, Mr E. G. Buckley, described the warders’ efforts as “heroic*’ and “beyond the call of duty." Armed police were posted in the main courtyard to stop any break-out through the main gate which could not be closed because of the tangle

of high-pressure hoses running through it. An order to stand by to use tear gas was passed along through the lines of police, soldiers, and wardens who by now numbered almost 300.

Police had been called up from all suburban stations and from Whangarei and Hamilton. Shortly after noon, the first bedraggled prisoners had filtered through back stairways to the front of the prison to surrender quietly. They were brought out into the main courtyard, searched and placed under guard. One man had a knife and a screwdriver concealed on him. By 1 p.m. 40 men had surrendered. A thick pall of smoke stretched across the eastern suburbs to the harbour. Played Basketball From the motorway being constructed on the eastern side of the prison, the rioters could be seen milling around in the main exercise yard Some were playing basketball as if it was their normal recreation period. Some huddled around bonfires fed with desks and chairs from the cells. Some wandered aimlessly around the yard, blankets draped across their shoulders: others, stripped to the waist enjoyed the sunshine. In one corner a grudge fight was being settled with bare fists. Firemen cooled the fighters with a stream of cold water. A determined group tried to use a large roller to batter down a gate in the north wall. One small band passed the time by screaming obscenities at police and firemen until the firemen, tired of their tirade, turned the hose on them. Warning Shot A party who tried to force a grille leading into the remand yard scattered for cover after a sentry warned them to stop and then fired a shot over their heads. As the afternoon wore on it became obvious that the rioters were going to hold out as long as possible. Many prisoners emerged from the still-smoking east and north

wings carrying mattresses and bedding—obviously preparing to camp out for the night. “It would be futile to try and get the prisoners out while they are in their present mood,” said Mr Buckley. “We know they have at least one gun. I am not going to risk men’s lives. Some of these men are desperate.” Armed police and prison staff were given orders to shoot if they were fired on, but only to wound. In preparation for a long seige the police borrowed powerful floodlights from the Army. Navy, Auckland Harbour Board, the railways and the Ministry of Works. The Auckland Electric-Power Board ran auxiliary mains into the prison area and electricians constructed a ring of lights to illuminate every inch of the gaol walls against a break-out attempt. No women prisoners were involved in the rioting. The women’s section is in a recently-rebuilt prison house outside the prison walls. Some of the surrendered prisoners were taken to the cells at the Central police station. Armed police guarded them as they were herded through the watchhouse to the cells. Another 20 were taken by bus to Waikeria borstal, near Te Awamutu, escorted by police cars with armed guards.