Michelle-Ann Letman, Staff Reporter

A member of the Jamaica Defence Force on the compound of the Gun Court remand facility on South Camp Road, Kingston, yesterday. Soldiers were called in to help restore calm after inmates started a riot there. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Thirty high-risk inmates from the Gun Court Remand Centre on South Camp Road, Kingston, were yesterday transferred to the Horizon Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road, following an attempted jailbreak and riot.

The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) said the inmates started the riot about 9 a.m., when workmen went to the facility to repair burglar bars and locks that had been damaged.

"They started chanting and destroying the bars and locks on the facility," said Sergeant Dahlia Garrick of the CCN.

The Mobile Reserve, the Department of Correctional Services and the Jamaica Defence Force were called in by the Detention and Courts Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force to help restore order at the centre.

According to the authorities, tear gas had to be used to quell the prisoners.

While the members of the security forces tried to bring calm, a small group of women gathered outside the facility protesting against what they called the harsh conditions their family members were facing at the remand facility.

The inmates are all charged with serious crimes, including firearm offences and murder.

According to the CCN, this was the second time in less than a week that inmates were attempting to escape from the Gun Court Remand Centre.

The first attempt on July 17 was thwarted by police personnel on routine inspection, who observed that a ventilation grille had been removed from one of the blocks.

The CCN said after that incident, a thorough search was conducted and all contraband, including cellphones and ganja, were seized.