Otago Corrections Facility is carrying out a review due to a prisoner finding a small metal fragment on his head after a duck shooting operation had taken place near the facility.
A Corrections officer was the person approved to carry out the duck shooting.
Ben Clark, Department of Corrections Regional Commissioner for the Southern Region, told 1 NEWS about the incident in a statement.
"A prisoner presented nursing staff with a small piece of metal fragment on Sunday, which he said he had found on his head while showering that morning. The man was assessed and treated by a nurse and advised that he was feeling well.
"On the previous day an approved duck shooting operation had taken place outside of, and some distance to, the prison. During the operation staff inside the prison reported pellets landing on the roof of a residential unit. As a result, the operation stopped immediately.
"The prisoner was using the unit’s yard at the time, however he was wearing a hat and did not report any concerns to staff at the time."
Mr Clark says that duck shooting has taken place on the prison farm without incident for several years during duck shooting season and is part of an approved pest control strategy as duck eggs attract rats.
"No further shooting operations will be approved until we can ensure that they can be carried out safely."
SHARE ME