Georgetown: In the aftermath of three prisoners hopping the Lusignan Prison fence in the wee hours of Monday morning, Director of Prisons (ag) Gladwin Samuels said the warders were either sleeping in their watch towers or were derelict in their duties that resulted in the escape.
On the run are murder accused Travis Evans, age 23 of ‘C’ Field Sophia, Georgetown; Sudesh Dyal, 23 remanded for Break and Enter and Larceny and Escape from custody; Dexroy Pollard, 29, of Wales Village for Break and Enter and Larceny.
The Guyana Police Force is currently putting all measures in place to locate and apprehend the escaped prisoners who were housed at the East Coast Demerara prison.
The Prison Director said while the prison remains overcrowded, adjustments were made to ensure that the prison officers are not overburdened and stretched beyond the normal working hours.
“The escape actually occurred at 4:29am and the last inmate escaped at 4:32am while there were several ranks deployed in towers and in keeping with reviews that we would have done since the last escape, ranks are no longer detailed to work twelve hours. They work for six hours which means that they should be focused and vigilant during their period of duty,” Samuels noted
Samuels noted that the prisoners were very careful to part the razor wire atop the fence so they could have scaled it safely. He said the entire area is brightly lit in the nights “you could even see insects jumping in the grass” and guard towers are positioned close to the fence.
Samuel said while many ranks were on duty, five ranks were in close proximity.
Noting that efforts are underway to recapture the three escapees, the prisoners were not discovered missing until close to 6:00 am when a tally was being done.
The Prison Director said warders who were on duty have been placed under close arrest and it is likely that the police have taken the same action for its officers who were on duty.
However, Samuels urge the public that although many persons may observe strange or suspicious sighting in some communities that may indicate where an escapee could be found, he cautioned against persons willfully misleading law enforcement officers since all the necessary human resource will be needed on such a manhunt.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said that the warders and policemen assigned to various tasks need to be awake in the wee hours of the morning when on duty.
“It’s embarrassing. As to what can be done to ensure professionalism and standards are maintained, that is very important,” Ramjattan said
Meanwhile, the Private Sector Commission on Monday expressed increasing concerned of a number of issues affecting the prisons in Guyana and public safety in the country.
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