It is one of the ironies of our situation that in the short term, the successes of the police are also increasing our prison population even further. It is one of the ironies of our situation that in the short term, the successes of the police are also increasing our prison population even further. It is encouraging to know that despite the difficulties of overcrowding, the number of escapes from prison has been substantially cut in recent times. I am sure that the Management and staff will be able to sustain this achievement. The public expects and deserves no less.
Secure prisons are essential to making our justice system an effective weapon against crime.
Some of the escapes from custody clearly take place with the collaboration of prisons officials. This is part of the unacceptable corruption that is being experienced in our criminal justice system. The smuggling of weapons and banned or illegal substances into our prisons are also facilitated by corrupt elements within our prisons service. On a continuous basis, I also receive reports that some of the criminal syndicates co-ordinate their activities from behind our prison walls. All this calls on al of us to raise our levels of vigilance.