Security weakness identified
The external fencing at Picton police station to ‘‘stop prisoners escaping’’ has been identified as a ‘‘major’’ weakness, emails between police bosses show.
The gap in security – which could also give members of the public or ‘‘associates’’ access to the cells – was identified in multiple security audits ‘‘over the past few years’’.
An email, dated July 18 and released through the Official Information Act, reveals improvements were never completed because they were ‘‘cost prohibitive’’.
After a seismic assessment found the Blenheim cell block to be ‘‘unsafe in an earthquake’’ on July 9, the Picton police station was used to hold prisoners for short periods of time.
A shipping container arrived at Picton later that month, intended to hold prisoners, but was never used.
The email, from Marlborough Area Commander Inspector Simon Feltham, said holding people in custody within the cell container would require fencing of the shipping container, and ideally improvements on the external fencing at Picton police station.
Feltham wrote that he would ‘‘strongly support fencing the entire area’’.
‘‘If we are going to invest in fencing to allow the siting of the cell containers there I’d suggest that it would make more sense to complete the external fencing and gates required to secure the entire site,’’ Feltham wrote. He declined to comment for this article.
A police media spokesperson said last week the fencing of the police station ‘‘had been identified as an area that could be improved’’. The fencing comprised wooden fencing at a variety of heights.
‘‘There are a number of other types of fencing that would
provide greater protection to the police station and vehicles,’’ she said.
The spokesperson would not answer when the weakness was first identified, but said the property was reviewed regularly ‘‘to identify opportunities for improvement’’.
Feltham said in his email ‘‘the weakness of the current set up has been identified over a number of Protective Security Requirement Audits over the past few years’’. No changes had been made to the fencing.
Picton resident Ian Wright, who lived close to the station, said he could see problems with the security fencing.
‘‘There is no security fence if you go and look around the side . . . it’s only a wooden fence there for crying out loud.’’
He said neighbours surrounding the Picton police station had not been notified when the shipping container – an early option for holding people in custody – arrived in July.
‘‘I wasn’t very impressed when they put those temporary cells in. Nobody around here was even notified about that,’’ Wright said. ‘‘We don’t know what sort of prisoners they’re going to put in there, even if it’s just overnight.’’
He said neighbours thought all Blenheim prisoners were being transported to Nelson while the Blenheim cell blocks were made safe.
Although a media spokesperson said the cell containers had never been used at Picton police station, Wright said his neighbours weren’t convinced.
‘‘There’s a police van that usually calls in in the morning and drives around here which led me to suspect there were people in there. I can’t believe that they put them up there and never put anybody in them.’’