Security measures are being review after four prisoners broke free inside a Melbourne police station overpowering and injuring eight police officers.

It was reported that the prisoners at Moorabbin Police Station in Melbourne’s south used the officers’ capsicum spray on the group of police to escape from a secure area before being recaptured by other police members, on Monday night.

They didn’t manage to escape the station.

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Two of the eight injured officers required brief hospitalisation for minor injuries.

A 34-year-old man, a 28-year-old man and two men aged 24 are expected to be charged with escape, assaulting police and various other offences, Victoria Police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Victorian Opposition Corrections spokesman Ed O’Donohue said too many prisoners were being held in police cells rather than jail.

He said police had agreed to hold up to 100 prisoners but recently this had doubled as maximum security beds were taken offline after the Metropolitan Remand Centre riot in 2015.

“Premier Daniel Andrews needs to take charge of this situation, get the prisoners in prison, rather than being babysat by police in police cells,” Mr O’Donohue said.

Mr O’Donohue was unable to confirm media reports that the prisoners used capsicum spray on the officers.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman declined to comment on the media reports about the spray, saying the incident was still being investigated.

– with AAP