Melrose Prison: Inmate, 24, Suspected of Assaulting Guard During Phone Supervision

A 24-year-old inmate at Melrose Prison is suspected of assaulting a 48-year-old prison guard during a routine supervision session, in an incident that took place on Tuesday 10 November.

The altercation occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. inside the Paille-en-Queue unit of the facility, while prison staff were overseeing inmates making supervised telephone calls. The circumstances that led to the alleged attack have not been fully disclosed, but authorities confirmed that an officer was targeted during what should have been a routine part of the daily prison schedule.

Melrose Prison, located in the east of Mauritius, is the island's main high-security detention facility. It houses inmates considered to pose a significant risk and operates under strict supervision protocols. The Paille-en-Queue unit is one of its internal wings, named after the native tropicbird that is a national symbol of Mauritius.

The Mauritius Prison Service, which operates under the Ministry of Internal Security, is responsible for managing the country's detention facilities and their staff. Incidents involving violence against prison officers are taken seriously under Mauritian law, and suspected perpetrators can face additional criminal charges on top of any existing ones.

The suspect, who was already detained at the facility, is now under investigation in connection with the alleged assault. It has not yet been confirmed whether formal charges have been filed following the incident.

Assaults on prison officers are a matter of ongoing concern within Mauritian correctional institutions, where overcrowding and tension have been raised in past reports by civil society and legal observers. The conditions inside high-security units, including restrictions on movement and limited access to communication, are known sources of frustration for inmates.

What this means: For prison staff, incidents like this highlight the daily security risks faced by correctional officers in Mauritius. For the public, it raises questions about safety protocols inside high-security facilities and how the system protects both staff and inmates. The case will likely be referred to police and prosecuted through the standard criminal justice process, with the inmate potentially facing charges of assault or causing grievous harm, depending on the severity of the officer's injuries.

No further details on the condition of the injured officer have been made public at the time of reporting.

Source: Le Defi Media