The Tasmania Prison Service has this week provided me with a report into the escape which occurred last week.
As was indicated on the day of the escape, the prisoner was able to escape the secure confines of the facility via a roller door and then left the premises through an entrance which is used for deliveries. He was armed with a knife from the vegetable processing facility.
Another prisoner working in the vegetable processing facility observed the escape and notified the Industries Supervisor, at which time a Code White response was called, including immediate notification of the escape to Tasmania Police.
I made clear to prison management that this was an unacceptable occurrence, and indeed prison management also recognised this. Immediate changes to procedures and protocols were put in place to prevent a recurrence.
The report makes several further recommendations to improve security at the facility and I have asked prison management to progress these immediately.
For obvious reasons it is not appropriate to release reports detailing the specifics of prison security measures.
I was shocked to hear Labor MP Lara Giddings call for the report to be released publicly considering reports into escapes at the prison while she was Premier were not released publicly, with her Government citing exactly the same concerns about compromising security*.
*Examiner newspaper 7/2/2012. “(Corrections Minister) Mr McKim confirmed that he yesterday received a report into last month’s escape involving two prisoners. However, he said that the report would not be made public as releasing such detail could compromise security.”