The Western Plains Correctional Centre, located in Lara, Victoria, is a newly developed maximum-security facility designed to accommodate 1,300 inmates and is set to be the largest prison in Victoria.
As part of the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety’s broader initiative to modernise correctional infrastructure, the project places strong emphasis on rehabilitation, sustainability, and safety. Within this framework, our role was to independently certify and verify the operational integrity of the Centre’s electronic security systems, ensuring that all components functioned as specified and met the rigorous standards required for such a high-security environment.
Involvement
Our scope included:
Witness testing and certification of:
- Network infrastructure
- Access control systems
- CCTV surveillance
- Intercom communications
- Prisoner movement tracking systems
- Perimeter detection systems
- Head-end system failover (redundancy) testing
- Verification of compliance with pre-approved government test plans
- Repetitive testing across multiple zones and buildings over a four-month period
- Final approval of systems based on operational reliability and adherence to specification.
IPP’s role in this project did not include the design phase – we were strictly focused on the independent validation of the delivered systems.
Outcome
Successful Certification:
All systems were verified to meet the specifications approved by CSBA.
Operational Assurance:
Redundant systems passed failover testing, ensuring high availability and resilience.
Quality Assurance:
Our independent oversight provided confidence that the facility’s security infrastructure was robust, compliant, and ready for operational commissioning.
Stakeholder Satisfaction:
CSBA and the Victorian Department of Justice received comprehensive documentation and assurance that the systems were thoroughly tested and approved by an impartial specialist.
