HMP Wandsworth isn’t the only prison in crisis

Daniel Khalife has been on the run for three days. There’s a £20,000 reward for information leading to his capture and police have spent a night disturbing Richmond Park’s deer. As of Saturday morning reported sightings suggest he fled the lorry and has made his way to the Chiswick area.

Rightly, many questions have been asked about HMP Wandsworth’s failures. Why was Khalife allowed to work in a high security risk role in the prison’s kitchens, providing him with easy access to an escape route? Why didn’t Wandsworth’s gate staff check the underside of the delivery lorry with mirrors, as is policy?

No doubt the independent inquiry announced by Alex Chalk, the Secretary of State for Justice, will answer these questions in time. If the police find evidence that prison officers assisted Khalife, they will be charged. Wandsworth’s management, particularly Katie Price, the Governor, will probably find their careers derailed. 

The proposed inquiry would be limited to explaining how Khalife escaped, as well as reviewing the categorisation of all prisoners at Wandsworth and of all remand prisoners charged with terror offences.