Two men escaped late this Monday afternoon from the Alcoentre Prison, located in the municipality of Azambuja, Lisbon district. Here is what is known so far.
Hélder Malheiro, 37, was serving a prison sentence of four years and nine months for robbery. Augusto Dinis, 44, had been sentenced to five years and eight months for drug trafficking.
The escape, which appears to have been planned, occurred after dinner, at around 6:20 PM. Reports indicate that the two Portuguese citizens scaled the wall using a rope. It was also reported that one of the surveillance towers had been inactive in that area from Sunday to Monday.
Meanwhile, the Directorate-General for Rehabilitation and Prison Services (DGRSP) has issued a statement instructing the police forces to “recapture the escapees.”
“Internally, an investigation process will be undertaken by the Audit and Inspection Service, coordinated by a magistrate from the Public Prosecutor’s Office to determine the circumstances of the occurrence,” it stated.
The leader of the National Union of the Prison Guards Corps (SNCGP), Frederico Morais, noted that “the inmates escaped because there were no prison guards to control the perimeter of the Alcoentre prison.”
“Yesterday, in Alcoentre, mobile phones were thrown inside the prison. The tower from which they escaped yesterday was active; we detected the mobile phones. Today, by decision of our leadership, it was decided it would not be active,” he stated to SIC Notícias.
Frederico Morais further disclosed that one of the inmates had been transferred “from Ponta Delgada after attempting to escape.” “He was placed in a prison with a semi-open regime. In other words, we didn’t even take care with someone who was being transferred for attempting to escape,” he said.
According to the leader, the Azorean fugitive “will hardly succeed in going anywhere,” as “he is a person without any support outside.”
The other inmate, who was detained in Beja, was “a trafficker receiver inside the prison and also took advantage of the opportunity.”
“We have a Minister of Justice who is one of the best we’ve had so far, but she chose the wrong team to lead this. I cannot understand how, after 10 months, we continue to have escapes and escape attempts as we are experiencing. This seems like a kindergarten,” he lamented.
