Section of Georgetown Prison wall ripped off; security beefed up

Last Updated on Friday, 25 September 2015, 1:27 by GxMedia

Police and prison service personnel were Thursday night guarding a section of the Georgetown Prison following the breakaway of a part of the southern wall and dislocation of the fence.

Sources said the damage was caused after water tanks, which were connected to the bathroom area, fell at about 7PM.

The wooden wall at the south-western end of that decades-old wooden building crumbled with the tank. The materials then struck the heavy southern fence, dislocating a part.

No one has escaped, according to well-placed sources.

The entire block around the jail has been cordoned off by police and prison guards armed with rifles. Several personnel have been also posted inside the building to reinforce security at a time when there has been unrest.

When work and school resumes on Friday following a one-day Muslim holiday, it is unclear how severe would be traffic congestion if that section of D’urban Street between Camp and John Streets remain cordoned off.

Fire fighters have in recent days been summoned to Georgetown Prison to extinguish fires set to mattresses during inter-gang conflicts.

The security forces usually take no chances with beefing up their presence in and around the Georgetown Prison ever since the escape of five dangerous criminals in February, 2002 that had spawned years of violent killings including two massacres at Lusignan and Bartica, kidnappings and numerous robberies.