Chinyama escaped last Wednesday from the prison while he
was working at a nursery resulting in prison and police officers launching a
manhunt for him.
He was arrested at his house at around 1am by members of
the Special Tactics Team following a tip off from a concerned citizen.
Chinyama, who was a B Class inmate, had served eight months
of his term and was due to be released on March 28 next year.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS)
spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Meya Khanyezi confirmed that Chinyama was
now in custody and was likely to be charged for escaping from lawful custody.
She confirmed that Chinyama was serving his one-year
sentence at Chikurubi Farm Prison before he escaped.
“The ‘B’ class inmate who escaped from lawful custody on 7
December was recaptured by the Special Tactics team around 1am. “We got
information from a responsible and loyal citizen of Zimbabwe that the escapee
had been seen at his home in Whitecliff area and was likely to be sleeping in
his room,” she said.
She added: “We want to encourage all citizens of Zimbabwe
to remain supportive of ZPCS.”
ZPCS recently said 116 inmates escaped from correctional
facilities between January 2021 and October this year.
Most of the fugitives were B class inmates, who are allowed
to be outside for work duties while serving their terms. Chief Supt Khanyezi,
recently said Harare Central and Chikurubi Farm prisons had high incidences of
prison escapes.
“In 2021, 64 inmates escaped from our prisons and 52
inmates in 2022 up to October, making a total of 116. Harare Central and
Chikurubi Farm prisons have a high incidence of escapes since these stations
have more B class inmates, who go out of prison to work.”
“Police, however, recaptured 40 escapees during the same
period. After escaping, the 40 inmates were recaptured — 18 in 2021 and 22 in
2022,” added Chief Supt Khanyezi.
Most fugitives, she said, sneaked away after asking for
permission to go to the toilet.
“Some A class inmates also abscond since they will no longer be under escort of a prison officer, given that they would have exhibited good behaviour.”
ZPCS is installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems
at maximum security prisons, arming its officers and reinforcing the canine
section to avert future prison breaks.
In March, a convicted armed robber was recaptured by police after escaping from Harare Central Prison.
He spent four months on the run. Richard Sasumba (40) was subsequently charged with attempting to escape from lawful custody.
Last year, 59 prisoners broke out of correctional facilities countrywide, largely due to negligence of guards who faced disciplinary action.
Figures obtained from ZPCS showed that 48 inmates also escaped from custody in 2020. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment