Attack puts prison guard in hospital

A Rimutaka Prison guard is in Wellington Hospital with a serious eye injury after being attacked last week.

Department of Corrections southern regional manager Paul Monk confirmed the Friday morning assault and said an investigation was under way to establish exactly what happened.

A spokesman at Upper Hutt CIB said police were also making inquiries.

Mr Monk said he would not compromise the police investigation by discussing details of the incident.

"We are taking this matter seriously. One assault is one too many. Unfortunately we work in a volatile environment and they do occur on occasion.

"Our thoughts are with the officer and his family and we are offering all possible support to them at this time," Mr Monk said.

He said many prisoners were capable of becoming violent with very little warning and a lot of work had been done to ensure staff were as safe as possible.

Despite an increasing prisoner population, serious assaults on staff had decreased by 90 per cent from 1996 with six assaults reported last year.

- NZPA