Suffolk's Police and Crime Commissioner has described the scale of absconding from Hollesley Bay open prison as 'a public concern'. Eight prisoners are currently on the run from the jail, including three who escaped last month.
Tim Passmore met the prison's governor, Declan Moore, on Wednesday and said he was impressed by the facility despite the absconds. However, he stressed that communication with the public needed improvement when inmates fled.
Among those who have absconded are Anthony Lee, aged 19, a burglar and dangerous driver who escaped last Wednesday just weeks into his sentence of one year and seven months. Scott Rowland, serving five-and-a-half years for aggravated burglary, and Martin McDonagh, given a nine-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, also left last month. Michael Cameron has been on the run for almost 12 years after leaving part-way through his four-and-a-half year sentence for aggravated burglary.
Staff realised the men had gone when they failed to appear for daily roll calls at 17:00 and 20:00. The prison holds 434 inmates considered low-risk and does not lock them in cells.
The Ministry of Justice said absconds had fallen to a record low but that each case is taken extremely seriously. Absconders risk additional time behind bars, with one Hollesley Bay inmate given a nine-month sentence for the offence last year. Suffolk Police said recapturing absconders was at the forefront of their work, with searches conducted around the prison and at known addresses.
