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A major police investigation is investigating suspected corruption of staff in one of the largest prisons in the country.
Numerous employees at Rimutaka Prison, north of Wellington, are alleged to have smuggled contraband, including drugs, into inmates, laundered money through their bank accounts and falsified official documents.
Much of the alleged illegal activity is believed to have been for Mongrel Mob gang members, but there may also be links to organized crime groups abroad.
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Apparently, the personnel involved received money as payment.
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There is concern that some managers knew what was going on, but covered it up. It is not clear how.
The police investigation, called Operation Porcia, has lasted for several months and involves members of the National Group Against Organized Crime, which specializes in covert operations.
More than 200 statements have been collected as part of the investigation, which is drawing to a close.
Several staff members have resigned or been suspended, a source said. Some are likely to face corruption charges.
Corrections Association President Alan Whitley said he learned of the heavily guarded investigation in recent weeks.
“We know that it is an alleged corruption and that they have interviewed several people.”
That was all he knew.
“This is the most rigorous investigation I have come across since I became involved with the union,” Whitley said.
“There is no place for corrupt activities in the prison. If that’s uncovered and cleared, it’s a good thing. “
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Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt houses around 1000 minimum or high security inmates.
The manager of the National Group Against Organized Crime, Detective Inspector Stuart Mills, confirmed that the investigation had been underway since July.
“A large number of interviews with Rimutaka prison staff have been completed and the vast majority of these staff members have cooperated,” he said.
“The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed at this stage.”
He said an earlier police investigation sparked the investigation, which also involved Wellington Police and Corrections.
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said he was aware of the investigation, which concerned “alleged crimes that began a few years ago.”
“My very clear expectation is that Corrections staff conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and integrity. There is absolutely no tolerance for conduct that undermines the integrity of the prison system ”.
Davis said he could not comment further while police investigated the matter.
A Corrections spokeswoman said the department “welcomes the investigations that are being conducted.”
“The vast majority of our people act with integrity, honesty and professionalism, and those who do not put the safety of their colleagues at risk, damage confidence in their profession and undermine the integrity of the prison system. They are inevitably discovered and held accountable for their actions. “
The police investigation prevented him from commenting further, he said.
Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt houses around 1000 minimum or high security inmates.
It is understood that there have long been concerns about corrupt and unprofessional behavior among some of its nearly 700 employees.
Past failures in prison
A report by the Inspection Office on the operation of Rimutaka, published last year, said that the increase in the prison population, gang membership and access to contraband had created “conditions that allowed some prisoners to participate in violent acts. and stagnations “.
The report noted that limited drug testing, poor safety practices, and failure to challenge inappropriate behavior were contributing factors.
When the inspection took place in October 2017, approximately one third of Rimutaka’s prison population identified themselves as gang members.
While the Mongrel Mob (36%) and Black Power (27%) gangs had the highest numbers, the report found that gangs with smaller numbers, such as Killer Beez (8%) “were responsible for more violent incidents than bigger. bands, “the report says.
In 2016, prison officer Alofainu’u Tuisamoa, then 42, was jailed for two years and two months after he admitted to having corruptly accepted a bribe to bring unauthorized items into prison.
The court heard that he received $ 36,400 from the inmates in exchange for providing them with goods, such as telephones, tobacco and fast food.
In 2018, a video appeared online of Mongrel Mob inmates inking with a tattoo gun.
When asked at the time if he thought prison officers had smuggled the tattoo equipment and cell phone used to film the incident, Davis said he “did not tolerate” those who “abuse their positions in prisons.” .
