Failing Security System Stalls Operation of ACTs New Prison
Friday February 20, 2009
It could take several months for ACT to install a working security system in its new prison in Canberra.
Canberra's Alexander Maconochie Centre's electronic security system has been experiencing regular crashes and prisoners have not been able to be moved in.
When ACT's Attorney-General Simon Corbell, Corrections Minister until November 2008, was asked why there was a delay, and why he and Chief Minister Jon Stanhope opened the prison on 11 September before it could be used, he said in the Canberra Times that:
"I stand by my earlier comments that we can all be wise in hindsight, but at that time, notwithstanding the slight slippages to the completion date that were occurring at the time, in my opinion the 11 September timing was still appropriate."
According to manager of Sinclair Kinght Merz, who has been liaising with the Government in Canberra and the Bovis Lend Lease, there were ongoing problems with the software that is needed to combine the different security systems.
Additionally, Canberra's Chubb Security, the company that were employed to deploy the system, had thought the task was going to be simpler.
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