Magistrate Begins Inquiry Into Paparua Riot

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30873, 5 October 1965, Page 14

Magistrate Begins Inquiry Into Paparua Riot

Evidence of tension and an “electric atmosphere” in the east wing of Paparua Prison on the afternoon of July 25 was given by prison officers at an inquiry begun by Mr E. A. Lee, S.M., yesterday into the riot at Paparua that evening.

The Magistrate is inquiring into the causes of the riot, the events leading to and during the riot, whether prison practices and procedure contributed to the riot, whether there was any breach of duty by prison officers, whether all proper control measures were taken, and whether proper measures were taken to protect the public.

Mr G. S. Orr is assisting the Commission. The State Services Commission is represented by Mr P. W. Graham, and the New Zealand Public Service Association by Mr E. J. Batt, with him Mr A. H. Strong.

Mr Orr said that the day of the riot was particularly wet and miserable, and inmates who would normally have played football were confined to the east wing, including some from the west wing who had recreation privileges. Some time after 3 p.m. a fire broke out in the kit locker, and the superintendent, the deputy-superintend-ent, and the chief officer all attended the prison and an inquiry was held into the fire. News of the fire caused considerable interest in the east wing, and tension developed. There was a question of when a senior officer was told about this tension. Mr Orr said that usually about 25 men attended chapel, but on that evening 41 attended from the west wing, and another group from the east wing. Not long afterwards, the riot broke out. After the men left the chapel and tried to return, if any had wanted to escape they could have got down from the chapel to the administration offices and out the front door. Fortunately the officer held the door at the foot of the stairway to the chapel. Mr Orr said that 21 officers were injured in the riot, and about as many inmates. “Very Agitated” Walter Stanley Parker, a senior prison officer, said that : mmediate]y after the fire in the kit locker, the men playing cards and darts in the east wing became very agitated. Two in particular started moving from group to group. He tried to telephone the chief officer’s office, but could not get through. A milk bottle smashed against the wall near him. He finally got through to Mr Somerville at 3 p.m. or 3.15 p.m. Mr Somerville told

him not to worry. When he said that he was very concerned that the situation was building up to a riot. Mr Somerville again told him not to worry. Parker said he was sure he spoke to Mr Somerville, but was not sure of the time. He saw him near the kit locker about 4.10 p.m. and told him to keep an eye on things because they were “brewing up.” To Mr Batt, Mr Parker said that on the afternoon of the day of the riot, the tension could be felt. “Air Electric” “The air was electric.” he said. “It’s hard to explain. You could feel it on the back of your neck. The hair on your neck seemed to be standing out.” To Mr Lee, he said he thought the tension might have stemmed from what had happened at Mount Eden Prison. David Keith Sterling Kidd, a prison officer, said there was an undercurrent of excitement in the wing that afternoon. “It was at the stage where you felt it might blow up.” he said. Senior Officer Parker had ordered tea early to reduce the numbers in the east wing. Joseph Armstrong, a prison officer, said the two men he saw moving about the wing he considered were trying to cause trouble. He reported this to Mr Somerville. Armstrong said the eastwing men were fed in the dining-room and the westwing men were fed in their cells, except for a few who had privileges. Prisoners’ Mood When . he visited the wing, the men seemed to be in a sullen and resentful mood, said Prison Officer Joseph Burgess. Usually when the prisoners were in association in the wing they were enjoying themselves and making a cheerful noise. This day they were not. Recalled to the witness stand, Parker said it was a west-wing man he considered to be the ringleader, and instead of removing him from the east wing, he arranged for the west-wing men to go to tea early. If he had lined

them up when tea was not ready there would have been trouble and they would have refused to go. They were out for the afternoon, and if he could not have given a good enough reason, it would have been hard to get them to parade. ■ To Mr Batt, he said he rang i Mr Somerville after the bottle j was thrown, and Mr SomerI ville reassured him. It was ■ for Mr Somerville to decide I on any further action. Officer Strength He agreed with Mr Graham that there would have been nine or 10 officers on duty in the wing at the time. “At 2.30 p.m. I was convinced that there was going to be a riot,” said Officer Richardson McPhee Murray. He said there were particular prisoners whom he knew well, and whose characters he knew, who were whispering to each other, and grinnihg mischievously at officers as they passed. “At 2.30 p.im I was quite sure that I would be battling out of the wing,” he said. “I thought we would be very lucky to get them separated without trouble. The ones we expected trouble from were from the west wing.” To Mr Lee, he said that usually an inmate would speak to an officer about something, but not this day. There was an air of disrespect to officers all afternoon. Officer Keith Gordon Barnes said that in his opinion there should not have been a church parade that day. Mount Eden Men A former officer, Keith Edwi. Bell, said a large number of new arrivals from Mount Eden Prison were among those taken from the west wing to the east wing that afternoon. The inmates were hostile.

To Mr Batt, he said there always was a certain amount of tension in the prison, arising from the mere fact of men being detained in an institution. He was apprehensive and partly scared. It was not a situation he had come across before. Senior Officer Alan Alexander Thompson said there was not the usual boisterous happiness in the east wing. There was an air of expectancy. Warders’ Hours To Mr Batt, he said that sixday weeks had been fairly general for the whole staff. Mr Graham objected to Mr Batt’s line of questioning

about the effect of long hours on the staff. Mr Batt told the Commission that the six-day week put an undue burden on the officers in carrying out their custodial and reformative duties, and could have made the prisoners feel that they could [start a disturbance. I Those he represented were concerned that such a thing should never happen again to them or to others, and if something came out of the inquiry that would improve their conditions of service, they would be pleased. Mr Lee said it could be that the number of men available that night related to the riot. Thompson said that if the situation in the east wing had erupted into violence the nine or 10 officers would have had a hard job to contain it if every one of the 60 or 70 inmates had turned on them. He said there were sufficient staff to protect themselves and their fellow officers, but it would be nice to have a few more. * “Full Complement” To Mr Batt he said there was a shortage of officers, but there was always a full complement on duty, working longer hours. He did not think the staff shortage had any effect on the riot. Percival Godfrey Brown, a senior prison officer, said he had questioned the wisdom of unlocking the west-wing men for the church service, be-, cause they included men from Mount Eden. But the supertendent had said that everyone who wanted to go to church should be allowed to attend. Brown said he alerted the chaplain to sound the alarm buzzer if anything happened. He was concerned because it would be the Mount Eden men’s first chance to get together with the rest. To Mr Batt. Brown said the lower-paid officers did not mind working overtime, because they got extra money. Firemen Hampered Detective Inspector William Edward Hollinshead gave evidence of taking his armedoffenders squad to the prison and taking charge of the situation. He said the firemen at the scene were being hampered by inmates who were cutting hoses, breaking windows, and screaming abuse. Four tear-gas grenades were thrown into the east wing and the inmates came out in obvious distress. Some were holding. out, and two tear-gas shells were lobbed in to bring them out. One or two had to be subdued when they came out. Recalcitrant prisoners were kept in east-wing cells overnight.