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Juveniles set fire at Sophia Holding Centre

Dec 09, 2016 News

– asthmatic teens collapse in cells

Police ranks at the Juvenile Holding Centre were forced to put out a fire that was started around 07.30 hrs by some of the youths who are housed there.
The incident allegedly occurred after some of the juveniles set a mattress alight and tossed it into the corridor.
While no one was hurt, Kaieteur News understands that a few juveniles who suffer from respiratory ailments such as asthma had to receive emergency assistance after collapsing in their cells.
According to reports, some police ranks were in the Inquiries Office, when they smelt something burning. They then saw smoke in the corridor in the lockups area and heard some of the juveniles coughing.
Although some of the juveniles were in acute discomfort, the ranks were afraid to open the cells. Instead, they formed a bucket-brigade and eventually got the blaze under control. Other ranks were reportedly also summoned to the scene.
The sources said that about four juveniles who suffer from asthma fainted in their cells.
They had to be taken out of their cells and given emergency treatment by social work staffers.
Sources at the facility alleged that some of the juveniles had tampered with the wiring in their cell to set the mattress alight. Kaieteur News understands that the cell houses juveniles who have been charged with murder.
There are suggestions that the culprits had intended to use the fire as a ruse to break out of the facility.
A senior official at the facility confirmed that a mattress was set alight, but denied that any of the juveniles had collapsed. The official also suggested that the incident was not as serious as some staffers claimed.
A few months ago, ranks at the facility had expressed concern about the repeated threats and assaults they received at the hands of violent juveniles. They spoke of cases in which some of the teens threw urine and feces at ranks.
Some of the police ranks claimed that their attempts to discipline the culprits are being undermined by social work staffers, who sometimes admonish the ranks who are trying to instill discipline.

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