A SERIES of break outs from Glen Innes’ local prison has triggered a security review of the minimum-security facility.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It comes after the latest escapee was arrested 30 hours away in another state.
Richard Norrie was arrested in Alice Springs on Monday – seven days after fleeing the Glen Innes prison farm where he ran from the grounds.
A 33-year-old man was arrested in Alice Springs by Northern Territory police. He remains in custody and is expected to be charged.
- New England Inspector Roger Best
“A 33-year-old man was arrested in Alice Springs by Northern Territory police,” New England Inspector Roger Best told The Leader.
“He remains in custody and is expected to be charged.”
He ran off from the prison sometime during the night of May 15, and hadn’t been seen since his arrest in the Northern Territory.
It’s understood Norrie will be charged by NT police and authorities will apply to extradite him back to NSW to face charges for the escape.
But he’s not the first to break out of the prison grounds, this year.
And the growing list of escapees since 2013 has prompted a security review at Glen Innes, according to the Corrective Services commissioner.
A spokeswoman for Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) confirmed there had been six separate escapes from the centre since 2013.
CSNSW Commissioner Peter Severin said all escapes are unacceptable.
The safety of the community is paramount and CSNSW comprehensively investigates each one.
- CSNSW Commissioner Peter Severin
“The safety of the community is paramount and CSNSW comprehensively investigates each one,” he said.
Now, after several escapes, CSNSW has confirmed a security review has prompted action, with more CCTV installed.
“Reviews of security at Glen Innes Correctional Centre following recent escapes have resulted in updated security controls including the installation of more CCTV,” the CSNSW spokeswoman said.
Reviews of security at Glen Innes Correctional Centre following recent escapes have resulted in updated security controls including the installation of more CCTV.
- A CSNSW spokeswoman
She said the Glen Innes centre was only a minimum-security facility that houses only minimum-security inmates.
“Following an escape, CSNSW immediately notifies NSW Police as well as local stakeholders and begins a search of the surrounding area,” the spokeswoman said.
“An investigation takes place into how the incident occurred.
“Any inmate, who has previously escaped or attempted to escape from prison, is re-classified as either category E1 maximum security or category E2 medium security.” The latest escape was the second this year.
There have been two escapes since the start of the year. The last escapee was Paul Reginald Dunn who fled the centre in January.
He told an Armidale court after his arrest that he “decided to walk out” and kept walking to family in Armidale – something that took him three days.
He was found hiding in an Armidale home in mid-February after a tip-off to police and was sentenced to an extra 12 months on top of his sentence.
In September, last year, Steven Barber was able to escape after smashing a window in his cell, while in October, 2015, two inmates escaped after being locked in their cells overnight.
The pair were able to flee through the window and simply walk out of the jail, after discovering a window was loose.
Joshua Laszuk’s freedom was short lived after he was spotted on the Gwydir Highway hours after escaping by a local correctional officer on his way to work, while Marcus Buchanan was arrested after almost three months on the run.
He was captured in Newcastle in January, 2016 and was accused of committing two armed robberies while running from authorities.
In April, 2013, Zac Cree, Ashley Cullen and Reegan Freeburn also escaped from Glen Innes prison and spent several weeks on the run efore they were arrested in Grafton and Queensland.