Correctional Services raids Atteridgeville prison
Phones and drugs were among some of the items that were consfiscated during the raid.
Female offenders housed at the Atteridgeville Women’s Prison were hit by a surprise raid on the night of October 24.
The raid by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) sought to disrupt criminal activity within the facility and ensure inmates were adhering to the regulations.
Led by the National Commissioner of DCS, Makgothi Thobakgale, a cohort of female Emergency Support Team members conducted a surprise search at the Atteridgeville Gender Responsive Centre for female offenders, under Kgoši Mampuru II Management Area.
The items found during the raid included cellphones, drugs, weapons, and other unauthorised items/articles that may pose a security threat to the management of centres and the overall safety of the public.
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“In the normal cell searches and inspections as well as the normal raids, you do not find the same objects in female facilities that you would find in male facilities like your sharp objects and sophisticated communicative devices,” Thobakgale said.
“Also when you look at the case files of the offenders here, we have 402 offenders here. If you check the files you realise that we do not have a lot of reported cases of ill-discipline or fights or assaults. Whether it’s offender to offender or even on our own officials or officials on offenders.”
Thobakgale said despite the low-risk nature of the facility, DCS does not want to be caught napping and finding the facilities they manage to fall into disruption.
“When you have a low-risk facility you have to maintain it as a low-risk facility because that gives you space to maximise correctional and rehabilitational programmes. When you have a high-risk facility, those programmes suffer because your employees have to develop security plans that mitigate possible security risks,” he said.
DCS intends to conduct these raids continuously as part of the standard operating procedures to ensure the safety of both inmates and officials and mainly to confiscate contraband.
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