THREE separate inquiries will examine a riot at Western Australia's only juvenile detention centre that caused millions of dollars in damage and led to dozens of teenage offenders being moved to an adult prison.
Three inmates climbed onto the roof of the Banksia Hill detention centre at Canning Vale in Perth just before lockdown on Sunday evening, sparking a mass riot in which 60 youths armed themselves with rocks and other improvised weapons and smashed up nearly 100 cells.
The damage left more than half the prison's cells uninhabitable, so 73 young offenders had to be moved in darkness to nearby Hakea prison.
WA's Corrective Services Commissioner Ian Johnson admitted having massive concerns about child offenders being housed alongside adult remand prisoners.
Corrective Services Minister Murray Cowper said the violent outbreak had not been a security risk.
That was despite some young prisoners apparently having broken others out of their cells by smashing their way in, before the mob went on the rampage.
"There was no security issues yesterday. The detainees were detained within the precincts," Mr Cowper said.
"When you are dealing with highly volatile situations, it does not mean you lose control. It was brought under control after three hours.
"Detainees participated in riotous behaviour, but it is unknown at this stage what sparked the disturbance.
"But we will ensure the perpetrators of this incident face the full extent of the law."
Mr Cowper ordered an independent inquiry to be carried out by WA's prisons inspector Neil Morgan, which will report back to parliament.
An internal Corrective Services inquiry and a criminal police investigation are also under way as the damage to Banksia Hill is fully assessed.
Police, police dogs, emergency services, the police helicopter and two fire trucks were called in to help staff quell the riot, which began about 6.30pm.
The mob armed themselves with rocks and 'adapted weapons', including smashed glass wrapped in material, Mr Johnson said. No staff were injured, but one detainee needed treatment for a gash to his leg.
The government only recently spent $27 million upgrading the young offenders' facility, and Mr Johnson said he feared the purpose-built improvements had been damaged in the outbreak.
"We are not dealing with choirboys; we are not dealing with angels," Mr Johnson said.
"The three instigators at some stage assisted others. I sincerely hope they have been identified."
WA Prison Officers' Union secretary John Welch said Hakea Prison was already understaffed and under pressure, with seven assaults of prison officers occurring in December alone.
"We have major concerns that we ended up in a situation where the only possible response was to shift children as young as 14 into an adult prison full of serious offenders," Mr Welch said.
"Putting children into an adult prison should never been an option. The fact that the children have had to be placed at a maximum-security prison is proof that our correctional system is in dire crisis."
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