Attorney General acknowledges prisoner transport problems

Tonight escaped prisoner Dennis Quilter remains at large … and although there have been some reported sightings; none of the tips have panned out. Quilter was being escorted up the steps of Magistrates’ Court by prison guards to the holding cell area when he suddenly broke away toward the Foreshore and disappeared into the city. The escape has highlighted the lack of security inherent in prison transfers, but this morning Attorney General Francis Fonseca maintained that by law, the practice of shuttling inmates between Hattieville and Belize City, even if only for an adjournment date, must continue.

Minister Francis Fonseca, Attorney General of Belize
“It’s a long standing problem as you know and we do have many examples of prisoners escaping, jumping out of the back of vehicles. We have cases where prisoners have been hurt because they are fighting in the back and somebody gets thrown out of the back of the vehicle. We’ve tried to address that problem. I know the Ministry of Home Affairs has done several things: bought buses, vans to try to address the problem. But it still remains a problem because of the so many, the number really of prisoners and the time scheduling of moving them back and forth. I don’t think the answer is really setting up some court at Kolbe. I think we really have to do more in terms of providing proper, more adequate transportation for the movement of these prisoners. So it’s an issue I think we’ve discussed for a long time and you know, I agree with those who say that it is a concern that we need to deal with.”