Public not at risk during jail riot: NRP

Lockdown quelled outburst


The public was never in any danger when inmates at the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold rioted on the weekend, forcing a lockdown of part of the jail, Niagara Regional Police said.
Police said an undisclosed number of inmates housed in the jail, which the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said has a capacity of 260 inmates, created a disturbance in the ground floor day room range area starting at about 11:20 a.m. Saturday. Corrections staff responded by locking down the area, containing the disturbance.
NRP officers responded as a precautionary measure and remained outside of the jail. A CTV news video showed heavily armed police officers, some wearing army-type helmets and bullet-proof vests, setting up a perimeter at the jail.
A negotiator was called in by the detention centre. While negotiations dragged on, though, some inmates began to make weapons from items in the area, police said.
Nearly five hours after the standoff began, corrections officers re-entered the area and broke up the impasse. Although there were no injuries reported, police said the inmates caused about $2,000 in damages.
"The Niagara Regional Police and Niagara Detention Centre would like to assure the public that this incident posed no danger to the general public at anytime," police said in a news release.
An investigation into the disturbance is continuing by NRP detectives.

Niagara this week