Teenage prisoner sends juvenile jail into lockdown as he climbs onto the roof - with staff claiming they are violently attacked 'more than once a day'
- Teenage prisoner has sent a juvenile jail into lockdown after climbing onto roof
- The inmate was seen parading around the top of Parkville Youth Justice Centre
- He was first seen on roof at the Melbourne jail at about 4.30pm on Wednesday
A teenage prisoner has sent a juvenile jail into lockdown after climbing onto the roof and creating a scene.
The inmate was seen parading around the top of Parkville Youth Justice Centre, in Melbourne's north, on Wednesday afternoon at about 4.30pm.
The topless teenager, who used a white t-shirt to cover his face, was filmed causing a ruckus while walking along the corrugated iron roof.
A teenage prisoner has sent a juvenile jail into lockdown after climbing onto the roof and creating a scene
He was seen throwing rocks and kicking air-conditioning units while appearing to carry a metal bar and a fire hose, in a video obtained by Nine News.
The staff initially struggled to talk him away from the roof before bringing him down at about 6pm.
'Youth justice staff have safely removed a young person who accessed a prohibited roof area in the Parkville Youth Justice Centre for a short period on Wednesday afternoon,' a Department of Justice and Community Safety spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.
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'At no time has the young person accessed any area close to the outside perimeters of the precinct, and all appropriate processes were enacted.'
'An investigation is now underway and it would be inappropriate to comment further.'
The Community and Public Sector Union (CSPU) in Victoria responded to the incident on Twitter and said it was 'bound to happen'.
The inmate was seen parading around the top of Parkville Youth Justice Centre, in Melbourne's north, on Wednesday afternoon at about 4.30pm
'The place has been in lockdown and rotations for weeks as assaults and violence against staff more than once a day across almost every shift leaving facility short staffed,' they wrote on Twitter.
'We've gone two steps backwards at Parkville unfortunately.'
Employees at the correction centre have reported high levels of fear, according to the Herald Sun.
'If this was a building site or a mine, it'd be shut down. Nurses or police wouldn't have to put up with it,' one worker said.
The CPSU said there had been more than 100 incidents against staff in the Victorian youth justice system in the past three months.
The topless teenager, who used a white t-shirt to cover his face, was filmed causing a ruckus while walking along the corrugated iron roof
Staff at the centres had reported being bitten, spat on, experienced assault and verbal assault, among other threats.
Wednesday's incident comes a month after inmates were also able to climb onto the roof.
Destructive riots in 2016 and 2017 led to more than half of the Parkville centre to shut its doors.
In 2016, six inmates armed themselves with metal poles on the roof of one of the accommodation buildings to smash windows and air-conditioning vents.
The situation was brought under control with the assistance of Victoria Police and its special emergency response team.
An independent review recommended that a new youth justice precinct should be constructed.
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