Super-secure cells to be built 05/11/2007 00:00

5 November 2007

BRUSSELS - The prisons in Bruges in West Flanders and Lantin in Liège Provinces are both to get new extra-high security wings. The new super-secure cell blocks will house so-called "high risk" prisoners that have either a history of escape attempts or of violence.

The announcement has come less than a week after gangster Nordin Benallal escaped from the high security Ittre Prison in Walloon Brabant.

Benallal, who had already escaped from custody several times, was recaptured by Dutch police on Tuesday after he and an accomplice carried out an armed robbery of a motorcycle shop in The Hague.

The new wings are to be set up to prevent prisoners such as Benallal escaping and to keep especially violent prisoners separate from other detainees.

The extra-security units in Bruges and Lantin will be used until work has been completed on a proposed extra high security prison.

The new super-secure wings will each be made up of ten cells.

They should be ready to take their first prisoners by next summer.

The decision on which prisoners should be placed in the new units will be taken by the prison authorities.

Luc Neirynck of the Christian trades union told the VRT that both prisons are now on the look out for staff to man the new units.

[Copyright Flanders news 2007]

Subject: Belgian news