Seven detainees have been injured - including two who were stabbed - in a "sudden and unprovoked" riot that broke out at a juvenile detention centre on the Central Coast overnight after a large group escaped from their cells, attacking and overwhelming staff.
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The scene at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre is continuing to unfold this morning, with police negotiators working to coax inmates down from the roof of the facility.
Emergency services were called to the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre about 8.40pm on Sunday night, with heavily armed police moving to establish a perimeter around the entire jail.
One 18-year-old who suffered stab wounds and facial injuries was transported by NSW Ambulance paramedics to Royal North Shore Hospital in a serious condition, police said in a statement on Monday.
Another 18-year-old suffered stab wounds to his head and hands, a 20-year-old suffered facial and hand injuries, a 17-year-old had facial and head injuries, while another 20-year-old suffered injuries to his hand, leg, and arm. Another 17-year-old dislocated his ankle after jumping off a roof. They were all taken to Gosford Hospital for treatment.
A seventh juvenile was treated later at the scene for a broken nose.
A number of inmates climbed onto the roof of the facility in the wake of the violence, where they have since spent the night in near-freezing temperatures.
Police are currently in the process of negotiating to bring them down from the roof, with four confirmed to have surrendered so far.
A corrective services source told the Herald that at least 20 detainees were involved and that staff at the centre had been attacked after rioting inmates obtained keys and gained access to a workshed containing tools.
The corrective services source said detainees had attacked fellow inmates, including prisoners in the facility for sex offenders, and police had to deploy gas in a bid to restore order. The source said staff were fearful for their safety and unable to intervene until police arrived.
Speaking with reporters about 8am on Monday, Superintendent Joice, district commander of Brisbane Water Police, said it appeared to be a "a very sudden and unprovoked incident".
He confirmed that between 10 and 20 detainees were still "not where they should be at this particular time".
Four of those inmates have decided to surrender "in the last couple of hours", Superintendent Joice said.
"We encourage those who are left to think about their actions and to do likewise."
Superintendent Joice said police had "used a number of resources including PolAir, the dog squad, rescue squad, a number of specialist resources from Sydney, and the operations support group from the northern region, to safely resolve this as quickly as possible.
"We have to have the consideration of the wider community as well as the inmates involved, and all of the inmates up at this centre."
Reports a chainsaw had been used in the riot were "a myth", he said.
Opening in 1999, the facility in Kariong is the largest juvenile detention centre in the state, capable of housing up to 120 inmates between the ages of 16 and 21.
The jail has been plagued with recent incidents, and staff walked off the job a month ago following an assault that left a prison officer with concussion, a broken nose and a broken eye socket.
From 2017 to 2018, physical assaults on staff - which range from spitting to violent attacks - jumped from eight to 25, while self-harm incidents doubled, rising from 52 to 100.
Incidents requiring medical help or hospitalisation rose from 30 to 49.
