Smoke billows from two beseiged cell blocks at the Spring Hill Prison in the north Waikato. Photo / Doug Sherring
Officers confronted by 29 rioting inmates at the Spring Hill prison would have been overwhelmed if they had tried to use pepper spray, Corrections Department chief executive Ray Smith says.
Mr Smith today defended the actions taken by officers on Saturday when the rioting high security inmates set fire to
buildings in a wing of the Waikato prison.
The Prison Reform Society said officers were unable to access pepper spray that was locked away, while the Corrections Association said officers needed tear gas to control rioters, Radio New Zealand reported.
Mr Smith said the prison officers who arrested the rioting inmates had "the tools that were best going to work", including helmets, shields, stab-proof vests and batons.
"The officers did the right thing in terms of removing themselves from the situation. They actually did incredibly well and did the thing we expect them to do," Mr Smith told Radio New Zealand.
