Prison escape warnings will be retooled

Metchosin working with William Head to improve alerts

In the wake of two inmates’ escape this month, the District of Metchosin is working with William Head prison to improve communication in the event of a similar incident in the future.

Mayor John Ranns said there are protocols for the prison to advise the district of an escape, so the municipality can issue a warning to residents.

“That didn’t prove to be as good as it could have been,” Ranns said.

Metchosin residents have raised concerns about the length of time it took for a warning to go out to the community that two violent offenders were on the loose, especially after 60-year-old Martin Payne was found dead in his Metchosin home on Brookview Drive.

James Busch and Zachary Armitage escaped the minimumsecurity federal prison about 6:45 p.m. on July 7. Correctional Service of Canada staff discovered the two were missing at an 11 p.m. head count.

But it wasn’t until 6:21 a.m. the following morning that the Correctional Service posted a warning about the escape on its Facebook page. West Shore RCMP issued a news release at 10:45 a.m. on July 8.

Busch and Armitage were recaptured on July 9 in Esquimalt after speaking to a man who turned out to be an off-duty RCMP officer.

Payne’s truck was discovered in Oak Bay earlier the same day. Foul play is suspected in his death, but no direct links to the William Head escape have been announced by police.

Busch and Armitage have been charged with escape from lawful custody and are set to appear in Western Communities provincial court on Thursday for a bail hearing.

Ranns said the need to alert the public in a timely manner has to be balanced with avoiding unnecessary panic. The institution has to be sure, for example, that inmates have actually escaped and aren’t just hiding elsewhere in the prison, which he said has happened before.

In the event of an escape, the district’s emergency program co-ordinator, Stephanie Dunlop, who is also the fire chief, is responsible for contacting the leaders of neighbourhood groups, who then send out a notice to their members. Metchosin residents can also sign up to receive emergency alerts directly.

Ranns wouldn’t say where he believes the communication protocol between the prison and the district broke down, but he said both sides need to work on improving their ability to get emergency messages out. “By the time the messaging got through using our own system of alerting our residents, quite a number of hours had passed.” Alerts have to be sent out in a more timely fashion, he said.

The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit continues to investigate Payne’s death. West Shore RCMP would not comment on the investigation.

Voice mails to William Head assistant warden Anthony Baldo on Tuesday went unanswered.