THE RELOCATION of hundreds of inmates to prisons across the state - including Tamworth - has been completed after a decision to evacuate Wellington Correctional Centre amid the ongoing mouse plague.
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Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin praised staff for their management in transporting more than 420 inmates to nine different prisons across the state.
"The safe and secure transport of these inmates - 270 of them maximum-security - involved the collaboration of officers working in custodial, transport, intelligence, sentence administration and finance."
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The last group of inmates were transferred from Wellington on Tuesday, after mice caused significant damage to the centre, including damage to internal wiring and ceiling panels.
Removing as many staff and inmates as possible would allow remediation works to be expedited.
As part of the operation, 31 transport trucks moved 50 women to Dillwynia and Broken Hill correctional centres. The men were transported to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, Bathurst, Lithgow, Junee, Macquarie, Tamworth and South Coast correctional centres.
Assistant Commissioner Custodial Corrections Kevin Corcoran said phase two of the operation would involve redeploying about 200 staff to other workplaces and training opportunities while remediation work is undertaken at the prison.
"The health, safety and wellbeing of staff and inmates are our priorities," he said.
"Removing all staff and inmates from the centre also allows us to review site infrastructure and complete remediation works and deep-cleaning as efficiently as possible.
"The remediation work is expected to be complete by the end of the year and will look at ways to protect the centre's infrastructure from future mice plagues."
An investigation continues into the full extent of damage caused by the mice.
Mice carry infections that can spread to humans, either through direct contact or contact with soil, food and water contaminated by infected mice.
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