SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The guards at the RCMP detachment's cells and drunk tanks cannot intervene if a fight breaks out between prisoners, according to the RCMP.

Pictured here on Nov. 5 are the cells and drunk tank in the men's block at the Yellowknife RCMP detachment. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

"The guard wouldn't go into the cell but the guard would immediately contact members to come and deal with it instantly," said Const. Kathy Law.

"They (RCMP) could all be out on the road so sometimes they don't get there right away but again, the guard would call somebody on an immediate basis."

Two brutal assaults between prisoners occurred in RCMP cells during the summer, one of which went on for four minutes before officers intervened.

Law said guards check the cells every 10 to 15 minutes, varying the time as to not be predictable, and the cells are also monitored "24/7" via closed-circuit video surveillance.

Danny Molloy, 27, was convicted of assault causing bodily harm in territorial court on Oct. 29 after he and a friend were caught on video surveillance kicking a fellow prisoner repeatedly in the drunk tank on Aug. 28, after the victim had tried to start a fight with one of them. Molloy was sentenced to one day in jail and a $1,000 fine. The other alleged attacker has a court date set for Dec. 15.

David Harrison, 25, was convicted on Nov. 3 for a merciless assault on a semi-conscious cell-mate on April 27, during which he stomped on the victim's head and kicked him repeatedly. Video surveillance footage of the assault shown in court was about four minutes long and included Harrison being brought into the cell and led out by RCMP shortly after the attack. He was given 600 days in jail.

Law said these attacks are not common. In a year there are more than 6,000 prisoners passing through the cells, and only a handful of fights might take place.

Guards aren't allowed to enter the cells because they are civilians who do not have the training or tools RCMP officers have to deal with potentially dangerous situations.

"There's always a possibility of a false fight like two guys pretending that they're scuffling, or a false suicide attempt (leading to an escape attempt)," said Law.

Guards have First Aid and CPR training, and they have to take a program titled "Assessing Prisoner Responsiveness" which trains them to make visual checks of a prisoner's health.

"If somebody was obviously in distress or needed medical attention from drinking too much, we would call an ambulance," said Law.

Lydia Bardak, executive director of the John Howard Society of the NWT, said civilian guards are necessary despite their inability to intervene in fights, as police can't be expected to sit around waiting on the off-chance of a fight breaking out in the holding cells or drunk tanks.

"One of the ways that we have more police on the streets is that we have civilian guards," said Bardak.

"You don't want an RCMP officer sitting idly at the cells. You want them to be out doing police work."

Bardak said she knows some women who have been security guards in the detachment, one of whom was around 65.

"I certainly don't want her going to break up a fight," said Bardak.

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