Guards still very concerned about security in Portugal’s prisons
The Prison Guards Union has revealed that 30 guards and an intervention team were called to Coimbra prison on Saturday, following an alert that six inmates linked to a criminal organization would attempt to escape.
“The escape attempt did not happen because we detected, through the information and security system, which worked, that there were six individuals who belong to the Primeiro Comando Capital (PCC) of Brazil, who are imprisoned there, who were going to try to escape from the prison” on Saturday night, Frederico Morais, president of the National Union of the Prison Guard Corps (SNCGP) told Lusa on Sunday.
According to Morais, all security mechanisms were activated and 30 members of the prison guards were called, some on leave and others on vacation, and a team from the intervention group was activated to be on standby at the Coimbra Prison in case intervention was necessary, which did not end up being the case.
“The guards came, searched the cells of the individuals, some narcotics were detected, cell phones were also seized (…) and we managed to prevent them from escaping”, said Morais.
Contacted by Lusa, the Directorate-General for Reinsertion and Prison Services (DGRSP) simply stated that there was no “attempt to escape from the Coimbra Prison Establishment”.
“As part of the daily and permanent surveillance and security work, a situation was detected that could indicate preparatory acts for a hypothetical escape attempt. In these circumstances, security measures and coordination with criminal police bodies were taken, which were considered appropriate and not subject to public disclosure”, stated a written response.
Speaking to Lusa, however, Frederico Morais said prison guards are still concerned about the lack of security in Portugal’s prisons.
The mass jailbreak in September of five extremely violent individuals (three of which have subsequently been recaptured in separate locations) served to highlight the apparent ease with which prisoners could elude authorities.
“This information has reached us. Thank God, because if it hadn’t, we could have had a catastrophe at Coimbra Prison – because we are talking about extremely violent individuals; just look at their history in Brazil; they would stop at nothing to escape from prison,” he stressed.
Morais added that prison guards are looking forward to the installation of mobile phone signal inhibitors in prisons, as stated by the Minister of Justice, Rita Júdice, and the Director General of the (DGRSP), Isabel Leitão, as this will stop inmates being able to communicate with people ‘on the outside’.
“This is a case where, if we had the inhibitor, they would not have been able to plan the alleged escape attempt that was going to happen – and here we must praise the readiness of the prison guards who gave up everything, including being on vacation, to guarantee security in the prison establishment,” he added.
When asked about the reaction of the six when the guards entered their cells to carry out searches, Frederico Morais said he was told “they were very surprised”.
The union president called on the DGRSP to transfer “as quickly as possible” these six detainees from Coimbra to Monsanto high security prison in Lisbon, “the only high-security prison in the country that already has a network inhibitor in which mobile phones do not work.
“We really have to do something, because at this moment Portugal already has many prisoners from the Primeiro Comando da Capital (a violent criminal organization from Brazil); it is starting to be very worrying for us”, he said, appealing to the Minister of Justice to “see and hear this latest news with eyes and ears of great concern” because these are people/ inmates “who committed extremely violent crimes in Brazil”.
Source: Lusa
