AUTHORITIES hushed up a prison riot at
Long Bay jail last week in which wardens were forced to fire shots to quell the "worst incident in 25 years".
Up to 80 prison guards were needed to stop the fighting last Tuesday when violence erupted between up to 40 Middle Eastern and Aboriginal prisoners.
The riot began about 1.30pm in the
Long Bay Hospital exercise yard when about 380 inmates were let out of their cells.
The prisoners, some maximum security, used gym weights to savagely beat each other and officers, during the melee which lasted up to half an hour.
At least three prison officers, including a female guard, were injured in the attack and needed medical treatment.
Up to 20 inmates have been charged over the incident and moved to Silverwater, while others are still recovering.
The incident was kept under wraps by the Department of Corrective Services (DCS) until inquiries by
The Sunday Telegraph. Privately, DCS officials have described the riot as the "worst in 25 years".
But assistant commissioner
Brian Kelly played down the incident, saying no officers or inmates were seriously hurt, with only three officers reporting minor injuries.
"The inmates involved were fighting with each other and did not at any point target officers or prison property and the security of the centre was maintained at all times," he said.
He said a potential disaster was averted by highly trained prison guards, adding: "This incident was handled extremely professionally by the correctional officers on duty, who were able to contain the situation quickly - and with minimal injuries to staff or inmates."
The officers involved saw it differently, describing the situation to
The Sunday Telegraph as "straight out of a movie" and "extremely frightening".
Inmates known to have been involved include members of violent street gang Notorious and its Muslim Brotherhood Movement (MBM) offshoot.
Notorious has had a surge in membership inside the prison system through coercion and stand-over tactics, with at least 200 members in state jails.
Footage of the ugly scenes, captured by CCTV cameras, is being reviewed by departmental staff and NSW Police.
The brawling broke out when two inmates, one Middle Eastern, the other Aboriginal, began scuffling over jail telephones.
During the violence, watchtower guards fired three gun shots into the grounds.
The Sunday Telegraph has been told the first bullet was a warning shot, with the rest aimed at brawling inmates.
The DCS denies this, with Mr Kelly saying "three rounds were discharged into the ground to disperse the inmates".
Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham is under increasing pressure following a series of mishaps and security breaches involving NSW jail inmates over recent months.
Prison Officers Vocational Branch chair
Matt Bindley said ongoing warnings by officers that trouble was brewing at Long Bay had been ignored.
