Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Source: GNA

Police re-arrest four escapees

Accra, Oct 12, GNA - The Ghana Police Service on Wednesday confirmed the escape of six prisoners from a vehicle which was transporting them from Accra to the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons. Four of the escapees have been re-arrested according to the Police while two were at large, though unconfirmed sources said all the escapees had been re-arrested.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Cephas Arthur, Acting Director of Public Affairs of the Police Service, explained that: 93as the Police were sendin= g prisoners from Accra to Nsawam Prisons this morning, the vehicle in which they were travelling slowed down as it got to the toll booth at Dobro near Nsawam because there were vehicles ahead and six of the prisoners on board the vehicle managed to escape".

DSP Arthur expressed concern that they prisoners managed to escape because the security personnel had ensured adequate security in the vehicle carrying them He said the Ghana Police Service had asked a team of security personnel to conduct a thorough investigation into the incidence, and asked members o= f the public not to panic as the Police were doing everything possible to get to the bottom of the matter. DSP Arthur commended members of the public for assisting the security personnel to re-arrest the escapees. Earlier the Ghana Prisons Service denied reports that the prisoners escaped under the escort of prison officers since the Ghana Prison Service had not recorded any escape, especially from the Nsawam Medium Security Prison. Mr Courage Atsem, Head of Public Relations of the Ghana Prisons Service, explained that all the prisoners from the Prisons, who were sent t= o court, were safe in their custody.