PRISON OFFICERS in riot gear were called into Mountjoy Prison last night to quell a disturbance during which more than 70 inmates barricaded themselves into an exercise yard for over two hours.
Two prison officers were hospitalised after they were beaten by inmates using a pool cue and pool ball in a sock. Teams of riot squad officers were called into the north Dublin jail from other prisons in the city, including St Patrick’s Institute on the Mountjoy campus and Wheatfield and Cloverhill prisons in west Dublin.
Teams of gardaí were also deployed but remained outside the jail off the North Circular Road as the prison service’s riot squad gathered and began to restore order.
The officers, dressed in full riot gear with batons and shields,moved in to the yard of the A division and took control of the area again just after 9.30pm. The incident had begun at 6.50pm.
Sources said some of the inmates in the yard had armed themselves with iron bars and the legs of chairs. Some of these clashed with the riot squad officers and one officer was injured.
The Irish Times understands the incident began when a staff member and an inmate became involved in a physical altercation in the jail’s A division at 6.50pm.
A large number of inmates gathered around the officer. As he was being assaulted his colleague went to his aid but he too was beaten.
A large group of prisoners then poured into a nearby recreation yard, some of them arming themselves as they went. They refused to leave the yard to be locked in their cells for the night at 8pm and a tense stand-off ensued.
Staff lost control of the area but the inmates, a group of between 70 and 90 according to differing accounts, were contained in the yard.
Senior prison staff were drafted in to manage the situation. A decision was taken to send for back-up from staff in other prisons in the city. Prison vans could be seen last night carrying riot gear and prison officers into the jail.
The prison service’s dog unit was also called in. However, it was believed some of the inmates had planned the disturbance and had gained access to bleach to injure the animals if they were deployed.
A decision was taken not to use the dogs but to instead deploy the riot squad.
The three injured prison officers were taken to the Mater Hospital beside the prison. Their injuries are not life-threatening.
A spokesman for Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern declined to comment saying the prison service was dealing with the incident.
A spokesman for the prison service said the situation had been brought under control by 9.30pm and that inmates were then being taken to their cells.
The spokesman said the control and restraint teams had dealt with the incident “quickly and effectively”.
The matter is now under investigation by the prison service and the Garda.