The WA Prison Officers’ Union (WAPOU) warns the alarming number of prisoners in WA compared to the rest of the country is a powder-keg situation ready to explode. The figures revealed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show a record 6893 people ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union (WAPOU) is concerned more staff will be seriously injured if action isn’t taken at Melaleuca Remand and Reintegration Facility. The latest incident where nine prison officers were hospitalised with smoke inhalatio ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union is offering support to three Prison Officers who were assaulted at Hakea Prison on Wednesday.It’s understood three of the officers were in the process of managing a prisoner, when a struggle occurred resulting in ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has supported the findings of an independent report by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services into West Kimberley Regional Prison (released yesterday), which found accommodation units at the prison to be over ...

The WA Prison Officers Union has welcomed the State Government’s announcement of a further $120 million capital expenditure (equivalent to an additional 672 beds) in the Western Australian prison system. WAPOU Secretary John Welch applauded today&rs ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union (WAPOU) has condemned comments made by State Opposition Leader Mike Nahan (The West Australian, 9 December) about overtime being claimed by some public servants, and labelled them as an insult to frontline prison staff. ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has supported the findings of an independent report into Broome Prison, which found years of poor planning and a lack of capital investment had left the prison unfit for purpose and not of a humane standard. A report by ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has echoed the concerns related to overcrowding at Casuarina Prison that were raised by the Inspector of Custodial Services in his independent report tabled in State Parliament today. The report by the Inspector of Cust ...

The WA Prison Officers Union (WAPOU) is hosting Western Australia’s first ever, Mental Health Seminar for Prison Officers at the Burswood Crown today. WAPOU Secretary John Welch described the inaugural event as a bold initiative that for the first t ...

The WA Prison Officers’ Union is offering support to two Prison Officers who were assaulted at the medium security Acacia prison overnight. It’s understood the two officers were set upon by a prisoner in one of the units after they tried to ca ...

An increase in the prisoner population of over 50% since 2008/2009 has resulted in chronic over crowding of Western Australia’s prisons. WA Prison Officers’ Union Secretary John Welch said the previous Liberal National State Governme ...

The current unsafe and dysfunctional conditions at the state’s new women’s prison are highly likely to lead to a serious incident or even death, the WA Prison Officers’ Union has warned. The Melaleuca facility at Hakea prison opened in D ...

Overcrowding at Hakea prison in Canning Vale has passed crisis point, with prisoners being forced to sleep on the floor. The WA Prison Officers’ Union has been told that over the weekend, 15 prisoners were forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor ...

The first report card on the management of the state’s new women’s prison has revealed a litany of serious failings which staff believed were putting them in danger. The Melaleuca facility at Hakea prison opened in December, and is run by inte ...

WA prisoner numbers continue to spiral out of control, with revelations the prison muster has exceeded 6,500 for the first time. The WA Prison Officers’ Union said overcrowding was getting worse, as the prisoner population continued to increase at a ...