A 35 year old male inmate at Auckland Prison [Paremoremo] will be charged with kidnapping after a hostage incident at the prison today.
North Shore Police say they were called to the prison at about 10.00am this morning Thursday 9 November 2006 after a 55 year old male Corrections Officer was taken hostage by the inmate.
The inmate locked himself and his hostage in a room in the maximum security sector of the prison, and used a piece of metal to jam the door closed. The inmate armed himself with a fire extinguisher but no serious danger was added or created to the hostage situation.
When Police arrived at the prison a senior Corrections Official had already talked the inmate into surrendering. The incident lasted less than half an hour and the Corrections Officer was not injured in any way.
Police have praised the Corrections staff at the prison. Their prompt actions were instrumental in this hostage situation being resolved very quickly.
Police enquiries relating to the incident are still in progress at the prison. The inmate is most likely to appear in North Shore District Court next week.
Ends:
Kevin [Kev] Loughlin
District Communications Manager
North Shore/Waitakere/Rodney Police
Telephone: 09-488-9758 - Mobile: 027-281-0271