The North West Point immigration detention centre on Christmas Island is on heightened alert following a spike in the number of asylum seekers deemed to be “high risk”.
Guardian Australia understands the private contractor Serco has raised the overall risk assessment of the centre to medium.
There have been a number of self-harm incidents – mostly relating to threats of harm – that led to the change, after a sudden influx of new arrivals from other detention centres.
Almost half of the asylum seekers at North West Point are now considered “high risk”, while a third are considered “medium risk”.
A spokeswoman from the immigration department said: “The department does not comment on matters of operational security in detention facilities.”
There has been a surge in unrest across Australia’s immigration detention centres in recent weeks.
A spokesman for the immigration minister Peter Dutton has confirmed that some asylum seekers have also been involved in self-harm attempts at the Wickham Point immigration detention centre in Darwin.
In Perth an asylum seeker on hunger strike is reportedly close to death after he ceased taking fluids.
A spokeswoman for the immigration department said they were working with medical staff to ensure he received “the most appropriate care possible”.
