The police are investigating an attempted breakout by two murder accused inmates at the Lusignan Prison, on the East Coast of Demerara.
Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels yesterday told the media that officers on duty at the prison managed to thwart the possible attempt to escape from the facility, between Thursday and yesterday morning.
Samuels said a steel bar was discovered “cut open” and attempts were being made to cut open another.
He added that it is believed that the second bar was being cut to facilitate an easier exit for the two inmates, who were committed to stand trial in the High Court. They were not identified.
Samuels said as a result of the discovery, the police were called in and an investigation is ongoing. “Due to the nature of the housing unit and the Standard Operating Procedures those prisoners should not have been in possession of cutting equipment and more so being allowed to actually cut,” he noted.
The incident has also seen an increase in the “security classification” for the inmates and additional layers of security at the facility.
The security arrangements at the prison have been under scrutiny in recent months due to contraband discovered there during raids as well as attempts that have been made to smuggle items into the prison.
The prison system has been rocked by a range of security problems in recent years, including breakouts from both the Lusignan and the Camp Street jails last year.
