Staff attacked at juvenile centre

Three officers have been attacked at a juvenile detention centre in County Down.

The incident happened at the Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre in Bangor at about 0130 GMT on Sunday.

One of the victims was poked in the eye with a pen and he also suffered injuries to his arm. The others were kicked and punched.

The Chairman of the Prison Officers Association, Finlay Spratt, has blamed "inadequate staffing levels".

"This is not the first time it has happened," he said.

"It is happening on a regular basis and it is kept quiet because there is no union there to alert the public to what's going on."

Woodlands, which became fully operational a year ago, has capacity to provide accommodation for up to 48 young people.

The Rathgael Road centre accommodates boys and girls who have been remanded into or sentenced to custody by the court.

While numbers vary, the average population is normally in the region of 30 - mostly boys between 15 and 16 years of age.