North prisoner escape raises security questions
The escape of a convicted murderer from a courthouse in the North has opened a debate over the use of private security firms to escort prisoners.
David Taggart absconded from Lisburn court just after he had been remanded in custody yesterday on charges of attempted murder and making a threat to kill.
The cost of keeping prisoners in jail in the North is far higher than in Britain.
The British government is constantly looking at how to reduce costs and one was to contract out escorting prisoners to and from court to private security companies.
Yesterday David Taggart, considered a high risk prisoner who had escaped once before already, broke out of Lisburn courthouse injuring two security men.
Police fired shots during the subsequent search although he's still at large.
The Prison Officers Association spokesman, Finlay Spratt, said the British government had been warned that contracting out such duties was a high risk policy.
