Commissioner of Prisons, Gerard Wilson has received the report on the October 3 escape at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) where five young offenders escaped and to date, remains still at large.
Based on the completion of the enquiry, Wilson told Guardian Media that “it doesn’t look good.”
Asked what would have “jumped out” at him based on the report he was given, Wilson would only say, “Just say that based on the information revealed in the enquiry it does not look good.”
Speaking during the third episode of the T&T Prisons Service’s Conversations with the Commissioner on Wednesday, Wilson disclosed that he was given the final report on the enquiry on Tuesday.
He added that on Wednesday morning he approached the legal department for consultations, following which an investigation will be officially launched based on the enquiry on Monday.
Wilson, in admitting that he takes full responsibility for the escape, said he wishes for his prisons officers to exercise more vigilance despite the fact that they are short-staffed.
Wilson, who disclosed that Wednesday’s ‘Conversations’ was the last for him as he will be proceeding on pre-retirement leave from November 19, said the YTC escape meant for him “going out with a bang.”
On October 7, four days after the escape, Crime Stoppers offered a $.25 million dollar reward for any information that will lead to the capturing of the five escapees.
This reward came just as police officers and prison officers said they are stumped in finding the five young offenders who escaped from the Golden Grove, Arouca facility.
In a poster sent out by Crime Stoppers, the organisation said it is offering a $50,000 per escapee.
The escape was believed to be well planned and orchestrated as intelligence received suggests that there may have been a getaway car involved.
A hacksaw blade was also used to cut through the bars of the dormitory in which they were in.
The escapees have been identified as Dillano Marcano, 16, of Pearl Drive, La Paille Village, Caroni and LP 34 Agostini Street, St Joseph; Jaden Fletcher of LP#73 Parrylands Village, Guapo, Sixth Company Circular Road, New Grant, Princes Town; Anthony Ramsumair, 19, of No. 12 New Village Extension, La Fortune, Woodland; Brian Seepersad, 17, of No. 24 Sea Trace, Bagatelle Road, Diego Martin and Darren Scott, 17, of O’Meara Road, Carapo Village, Arima.
According to a report, at about 2.35 am five of the ten residents were able to cut the bars to the dormitory which has an enclosed area to the back. The young offenders went through the cut bars into the enclosure and were able to lift a wire fencing and crawl under it where they then climbed through a ceiling out into the yard.
Wilson, who served 36 years in the Prisons Service, also sort to highlight some of his achievements during his tenure as Commissioner, which included the establishment of the High-Risk Management Unit where high-risk prisoners are monitored in a bid to reduce, if not stop the attacks/deadly attacks on prisons officers; the introduction of female prisons officers to the Services’ specialised unit - the Strategic Services Unit; the Prisons Interdiction Unit which monitors contrabands and other illegal items/activities entering the prisons; the implementation of the Probationers Development Programme; the introduction of a Customer Service Relations Department who greets visitors at the gates in a bid to eradicate intimidation and fears; the inauguration of the Prisons Services’ own flag and establishment of a memorial garden where family members can now go too to lay wreaths for their loved ones, some of whom were killed during the line of duty.