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Acting National Commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Mr ZI Modise, has commended law enforcement agencies for the swift arrest of one of the seven inmates who escaped from the Groenpunt Correctional Centre in the early hours of this morning, 21 May 2015.

According to officials from the DCS Free State/Northern Cape Region, it is alleged the seven offenders escaped from the Groenpunt Correctional Centre at approximately 02h00 this morning. Investigations are continuing, which will confirm how the escape occurred.

Mr Modise said that Correctional Officials, together with various other law enforcement agencies, are currently working around-the-clock to ensure the arrest of the remaining six escapees. “The necccesary protocols were immediately activated, and all law enforcement agencies responded immediately. Due to the swift response of law enforcement officials, one inmate was re-arrested. Officials are currently working around-the-clock to ensure the re-arrest of the other six offenders. We are appealing to members of the public not to approach any of these inmates should they encounter any of them, but to report to the nearest police station. The crimes committed by these inmates include robbery, rape, burglary, kidnapping, attempted murder and possession of firearms. We are also calling upon any person who may have any information that will assist in this investigation to please come forward.

“Over the years, as part of ensuring secure custody, DCS has made significant progress in terms of preventing escapes from correctional facilities. This includes the reduction of escapes to 0.024% (or 38 out of 159,000 inmates) by the end of December 2014, which is a continued improvement from previous years,” Mr Modise said.

Issued by Department of Correctional Services