Prisons tighten security to stop inmates fleeing working parties

Auckland Prison at Paremoremo has reviewed its procedures after Arai Hema and Kevin Polwart escaped from work details. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

A new security classifications system has been introduced at prisons throughout the country to tighten controls over which inmates qualify to be in working parties outside prison walls.

In the last financial year, four prisoners made "walk-away escapes" from prison working parties. One of those was Arai Hema, 30, who had been sent to jail for attempted murder and attempted sexual violation. Despite this, he was approved to work outside Auckland Prison at Paremoremo. He was on the run for 23 days.

Internal Department of Corrections documents obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act show the number of walk-offs has plummeted from 31 a decade ago, but staff said there was no excuse for any escapes.

"It is our duty to protect the public by ensuring those prisoners sentenced to imprisonment remain in our custody while also having the opportunity to undertake rehabilitation initiatives such as employment," said Leanne Field, assistant general manager (operations) of prison services.

Ms Field said the department had reviewed processes because of recent working party escapes. The new system takes into account factors such as offence type, age, sentence length and whether a person is subject to extradition, deportation or a removal order.

"Low/medium-security prisoners will not be eligible to work outside the prison perimeter and low-security prisoners will only be able to be employed on specific work parties that have a high level of supervision," Ms Field said.

In October 1999, Hema was sentenced to 11 years' jail for attempted murder, attempted sexual violation and assault with intent to commit sexual violation.

Five years into his term at Hawkes Bay Prison, he had another six years added for savagely assaulting two prison instructors.

Department documents show there were 14 "incidents" involving Hema from October 2004 until April 2005, when he was deemed a maximum-security risk and transferred to Paremoremo. A review two months later dropped his ranking to high medium, and two years later he was reclassed to the "AB" (low-medium) category.

In February 2008, he was approved to work in the jail's "pre-cast", non-secure yard.

A massive manhunt was launched when Hema fled, and police warned the public not to approach the man they described as extremely violent.

But Corrections said Hema's minimum-security classification was consistent with policies at the time.

"It was for this reason he was approved to work in a supervised work party outside of the prison," said Ms Field

In December, Kevin Polwart cut through a steel fence at Paremoremo with an angle grinder, taunting police and Corrections staff with the challenge "Catch me if you can" and a cartoon rabbit scrawled on a concrete slab.

A department spokeswoman said Polwart was not included in the walk-away escapes statistics as he was not in a working party, out in the community, when he escaped.

Three other inmates escaped prison while on working parties in the last financial year.

Storm Hughes fled a building project at Spring Hill jail, near Meremere, on February 11, 2008. The 33-year-old was tracked to a Pukekohe home, but when police stormed the property he had gone. He was caught in Bucklands Beach, Manukau, after two days on the run.

Corrections documents reveal he was present at a "muster check" at 8.45am at the work party yard and noticed missing at 9.15am.

An internal investigation found his security classification had been wrongly calculated, allowing him to "work outside a secure perimeter". The prisoner work party handover that day - which gave a list of inmates present - was inaccurate and information about a different man had been included in a risk assessment of Hughes.

On July 12, 2008, when a Tongariro Prison farm truck full of inmates got stuck, an instructor went to get a tractor and Jaden Conroy fled. He was caught five days later, but left police red-faced when he escaped again en route to Hawkes Bay Prison the next day.

Corrections' findings reveal there was insufficient and incomplete information on his file when he transferred from Spring Hill in June 2008.

The farm instructor did not follow escape procedures, causing an 18-minute delay in raising the alarm, and the unit manager wasted 25 minutes before telling police, according to documents.

Phillip Austin had been in Rimutaka Prison for nearly a year when he fled a working party on October 20, 2008.

The then 25-year-old - who was sentenced to three years and four months' jail for 22 offences ranging from assault to car theft - was due for release in April next year.

Austin was left painting a gymnasium about 10.50am and noticed missing by staff about 11.40am. An investigation found flaws in the security assessment and handover processes that allowed him to work outside the secure prison perimeter.

A DECADE OF WALK-AWAYS
(figures relate to financial years)

1998-99: 31
2003-04: 7
2004-05: 4
2005-06: 4
2006-07: 6
2007-08: 3
2008-09: 4