By Martha Louis – EM TV News, Lae
Police and Correctional Service personnel in Lae have put in place a combined special operations team to track down prisoners who escaped during the recent mass break out.The special operation started last Thursday.
Lae Metropolitan Superintendent, Anthony Wagambie Jr, said due to the large number of escapees, identification is a big challenge.
Lae Police have a cell management system in place. The system was set up last year through the support of the Australian Federal Police. So far they have the identifications 31 prisoners out of 57 prisoners.
Those are prisoners who went into the jail after the time the cell management system was put in place. Most of the escapees who are now on the run went into prison before the setup of the cell management system. And police don’t have their personal details in the centralized cell management system.
The combined operation from the CS and Police personnel will help the officers identify escapees. On Friday last week the special operation arrested an escapee at 2 Mile.
And on Sunday, another fugitive was apprehended, arrested and charged with three homemade guns and ammunition. This escapee is from the previous mass break out at Buimo jail last year.
He has been on the run and is wanted by police for a number of armed robberies in the city.
Police are continuing to track down more than one hundred escapees still on the run.
These are fugitives’ from the previous jail break out at Buimo last year and escapees from the recent break out where 87 prisoners escaped.
Wagambie is calling on the public to provide police with information so that police can be able to apprehend and arrest those escapees.
Or if you have any information on their whereabouts you can call the police toll free number on 180 4040. Your identity will be kept confidential.
