Deputy director of prison suspended

Nine staff at Wellington’s Rimutaka Prison, including the deputy director and two other senior managers, have been suspended for alleged misconduct.

Corrections placed the staff on ‘‘special leave’’ on Thursday as a result of information gathered by police involved in a long-running corruption investigation, dubbed Operation Portia.

In a statement, Chief Custodial Officer Neil Beales said information provided by police since November 2020 had led to an internal inquiry into the actions of 10 prison staff.

One of those people had previously resigned, and a further nine were placed on ‘‘special leave’’ yesterday, Beales said.

Three senior managers at the site are among those under scrutiny – the prison’s deputy director Steve Morgan, his brother Jim Morgan, and another man.

The allegations under review include introducing contraband (including food and cellphones), workplace bullying, failure to follow procedures critical to the

Neil Beales

Chief Custodial Officer

safety and security of the prison, failure to maintain professional boundaries and inappropriately accessing prisoner information. None of the allegations are of a sexual nature.

‘‘We will not tolerate this type of behaviour in our prisons,’’ Beales said.

‘‘We expect a high standard of conduct from all employees. The nature of our work means we must act beyond reproach at all times.’’

Corrections Association president Floyd Du Plessis said he was pleased concerns about the culture and behaviour at the site were finally being taken seriously.

‘‘Staff have been demanding action ... for a number of years. We’ve raised it in a number of areas more than once, and historically it’s fallen on deaf ears.’’

Those found guilty of the allegations should be ‘‘dealt with harshly’’, De Plessis said.

Operation Portia is an ongoing investigation into suspected staff corruption at Rimutaka Prison.

It was launched in June 2020 after a inmate at the jail allegedly arranged the trafficking of methamphetamine into New Zealand from behind bars using illicit cellphones.

The suspected offending is thought to have been enabled by corrupt guards, who received payments for allowing contraband, which includes cellphones, drugs and tobacco, to be smuggled into the prison.

No-one has yet been charged with corruption-related offending as a result of the inquiry, which has been led by the police’s National Organised Crime Group.

‘‘A number of matters are with the Wellington Crown Solicitor for assessment,’’ a police spokesperson said on Thursday.

Before a person can be prosecuted for a corruption offence, the Crown needs the approval of the attorney general.

As part of Operation Portia, detectives have spoken to more than 100 Rimutaka Prison staff.

‘‘The nature of our work means we must act beyond reproach at all times.’’