School to further tighten security after escape of detainees

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KENINGAU: The state Prisons Department will further tighten security controls at the Henry Gurney School here, following the escape of 14 school juvenile detainees on October 19.

Its director, Abdul Basir Mohamad, yesterday said this was a security precaution to prevent such incident from repeating in the future.

“Among the security measures that will be taken are to provide new facilities such as installing Closed-circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) and better fencing, and to increase the number of staff,” he told reporters during the district-level 206th Prison Day held at the school here.

He said the existing system had proven its weaknesses as the 14 juvenile detainees had managed to escape from the school residential block.

All of the detainees had been arrested.

Basir said following the case, the department would streamline and reorganize the work system, including adding officers and personnel to tighten security.

He said the department would also take into account the factors that would attract interest and excitement to the occupants of the school and to further intensify the activities of sports such as football, table tennis and so on.

“Occupants are juveniles requiring a pleasing atmosphere and therefore we have proposed a variety of sporting events. We also suggest that inmates be given the opportunity to watch television broadcasts a little bit more,” he said.

He said security was however the priority of the school management.

He said apart from that, the department also welcomed the participation of any non-governmental organizations (NGOs), associations, individuals and others to participate in the ‘Recovery Friends’ that would consist of professionals, skilled personnel and leaders of any religion in the country.

Basir said this program was to help the inmates increase spiritually, self-awareness and skills so that they would not be caught up in events of the past after they are free, thus allowing the detainees to continue living like everyone else.

He said those interested in joining the program can get more information from the department’s official website at www.prison.gov.my or come directly to a nearby prison department.

Also present at the event were Henry Gurney School director Mohammad Ismail and senior officials of the state and district Prisons Departments.