SA prison union warns of "extreme risk" amid security failures

The Public Service Association (PSA) says "a serious and escalating security failure" at South Australia's Yatala Labour Prison is exposing correctional officers to "extreme risk".

The union said a car allegedly associated with a shooting at Munno Para in Adelaide's north earlier this month had been seen at the Yatala staff car park in the days leading up to the alleged offence.

In a statement, the PSA said the occupants of the car were "wearing face coverings and gloves".

"A vehicle linked to a serious violent offence has been able to enter a prison staff car park. That should never be possible under any circumstances," PSA General Secretary Charlotte Watson said in the statement.

Correctional officer liaison and vice president of the PSA SA, Craig Bates, said it was one of "three" security breaches at the prison over recent few weeks.

"We're all very concerned about the fact that, you know, the likelihood is that if these people were involved in a shooting and they were driving into the staff car park with face coverings, it's a reasonable thought to believe that they had a firearm in their car while driving through the staff car park," he said.

The union said it "underscores a broader and unresolved security breakdown at the facility".

"The risk is death, essentially," Mr Bates said.

On May 11, South Australia Police released images of the vehicle allegedly involved in the Munno Para shooting.

Police said officers had been called to a home on Faulding Avenue at about 5am on May 8, after reports that at least three shots had been fired at the front of the property.

"A short time later, police and fire crews were called to Wingate Road, Hillier, following reports a Nissan SUV was on fire," a police statement read.

"Fire crews quickly attended and extinguished the blaze, however, the vehicle was destroyed.

"Checks revealed the Nissan SUV had been stolen from an address at Mile End on Wednesday 22 April."

A police spokesperson confirmed that the vehicle allegedly involved in the shooting had attended the prison car park "in the week prior to the incident".

Police said the vehicle bearing the number plate S352DEA was involved in the Munno Para incident, but was captured on CCTV earlier with an unassigned front plate, S692BPA.

Calls for more security

According to the PSA, other recent incidents include "alleged contraband being thrown into Mirnu Unit 1" and "individuals approaching the fence line to photograph and film prison infrastructure".

In a statement, the union said it had urgently requested immediate action "including extending the perimeter fence and deploying 24-hour protective security officers until the risk is mitigated".

"Despite the severity of the situation, the Department for Correctional Services has refused both measures," the statement read.

Mr Bates said it was not the first time a request for secure fencing had been made.

"This is a matter that's been raised on a number of occasions. We've had staff members have their vehicles damaged, we've had bikes stolen … you name it," he said.

He said the fencing request refusal was "based on cost".

"Essentially they're putting money before the safety of their staff and this is a very real risk," he said.

"It's in absolute disarray. If the department wants to get serious about running these prisons properly, they need to staff them properly and they need to put better control measures in place to stop the drugs and the out-of-control behaviour that's going on," Mr Bates said.

Mr Bates said the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) had added private security guards for "a period of four hours a day" as a temporary measure.

"And furthermore, these security guards, I'm sure they mean well and they're trying to do the best they can, but they don't have powers of arrest, they're not armed."

Ms Watson said the department needed to "act immediately" to "prevent further escalation".

DCS committed to security, government says

In a statement, a DCS spokesperson said staff and community safety was the department's "number one priority".

"Immediate steps have been taken to strengthen security around the car park," the statement read.

"Any allegations of criminal behaviour are referred to SAPOL and it would be inappropriate to comment further."

Emergency Services Minister Rhiannon Pearce said the government had invested about $6 million in prison security enhancements.

"There's a lot of works in terms of the scanners, so really doing what we can in terms of contraband cutting within prisons, but also netting the Adelaide Women's Prison."