John Welch, Secretary of the WA Prison Officers Union
There was overwhelming support at the launch of our Respect the Risk campaign on Tuesday.
Not only were the media were interested in our side of the story, but I addressed a room filled with people from far and wide including the including Simone McGurk from UnionsWA, Toni Walkington from the CPSU/CSA, Marc Newhouse from The Deaths in Custody Watch Committee and Rosemary Hudson Millar of the Uniting Church.
And the campaign website and facebook page received hundreds of visits and encouraging comments, just hours after the campaign launched. Read more »
John Welch, Secretary of the WA Prison Officers Union
Our prisons are at breaking point – in the past 18 months the state’s prison population has grown by 25 per cent.
Now we can have a debate about the reasons for this increase – a tougher law and order policy from the new government, increasing issues in indigenous communities, and changes to the way parole is being administered.
But what can’t be denied is the impact these increases have on the men and women charged with running our prisons.
- Prison Inspector says Bunbury Prison staff at risk while facility bursts at the seams. 20 January, 2012
The WA Prison Officers’ Union (WAPOU) has called on the Barnett Government to fix the serious concerns raised by the Inspector of Custodial Services in his report into Bunbury Regional Prison released today. WAPOU Secretary John Welch said the Ins...
- Promised Prison beds at Greenough still not delivered 14 November, 2011
In November 2009 the Barnett Government announced a new male maximum-security unit would be built at Greenough Prison then months later decided not to site the unit at Greenough but announced they would build a female unit in its place. It’s now N...
- No benefit but serious risk with decision to outsource new Young Offenders Facility 1 November, 2011
The WA Prison Officers’ Union (WAPOU) has called on the Barnett Government to reverse its decision to outsource a new Young Adults Facility. Expressing disappointment at the announcement today, WAPOU Secretary John Welch said he was very surprised...
- WAPOU calls for independent analysis into costs of privatised prisons 20 May, 2011
The WA Prison Officers Union (WAPOU) is calling for an independent analysis into the real costs of running privatised prisons after the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services released a report into Acacia Prison that failed to account for severa...
- Lives put at risk with renewal of privatised prison transport 5 May, 2011
The WA Prison Officers Union (WAPOU) has today slammed the WA government’s decision to award global private company, Serco, with the responsibility of WA’s prisoner transport, court security and other custodial services operations. “The privat...
