Maximum security boost for Hakea

18/01/03
Hakea Prison in Canning Vale to get a major security upgrade.
Justice Minister Jim McGinty said $6.5million would be spent over three years to extend the prison wall and significantly upgrade electronic detection, lighting and monitoring systems at Hakea.
Mr McGinty said security at all prisons was under constant review, and while there had been no escape attempts at Hakea since 2000, the Government wanted to ensure security at the prison was of the highest possible standard.
Hakea is the State's largest maximum-security prison.
Mr McGinty said the former Government's amalgamation of the Canning Vale Prison and the adjacent remand centre to form Hakea Prison three years ago had involved the demolition of a concrete wall that had previously separated the two facilities.
The concrete wall was replaced with a fence laced with razor wire, and the Minister said he shared the views of independent Inspector of Prisons, Richard Harding, that this was not sufficient for the prison's maximum-security rating.
Mr McGinty said it was important that residents in surrounding areas could have absolute confidence in prison security.
"There is no suggestion that the present security is lax, but my view is that it should be like Fort Knox," he said.
"That is why we will be extending the existing prison wall around the entire prison complex, as well as upgrading monitoring and detection."
The project will include:

• installing state-of-the-art detection systems and additional cameras to parts of the prison perimeter fence;

• installing an alarm on an internal linkmesh barrier and installing lighting and supplementary cameras to provide an early warning and delay barrier; and

• replacing the existing fenced sections of the perimeter to match the existing wall around the rest of the prison.