Six arrested after Vic youth jail riot

Victorian police have arrested six youths after they locked themselves in a secure yard at a youth detention centre.

Riot police have stormed a Victorian youth justice centre after a group of armed offenders locked themselves in a secure yard.

Victoria Police were called to the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre at 1.50pm but the situation came to a head shortly before 6.30pm when police stormed the facility.

A police spokeswoman told AAP six youths had been arrested and will be interviewed.

No one was injured during the arrest, she said.

The incident comes just days after a riot at the Parkville youth detention centre, and months after other riots damaged facilities at both centres.

Opposition children's spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said youth justice was out of control in Victoria.

"This is now at least the 30th major youth riot under the Andrews Labor government," Ms Crozier said.

"It is clear to all that (Youth Affairs) Minister Jenny Mikakos is hopelessly out of her depth and just lurching from one crisis to another."

Ms Mikakos has been contacted for comment.

After multiple riots at Malmsbury and Parkville in October and November, some offenders were moved to a unit with the maximum security adult jail in Barwon.

Lawyers challenged the transfer in the Supreme Court, which found the government had acted unlawfully.

The government appealed and lost, with the Court of Appeal ordering them to move the teens, but the government instead rebranded the Grevillea unit as a youth facility.


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Published 12 January 2017 7:52pm
Source: AAP


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