Escaped prisoner will make mistake - police

Kevin Polwart's son Darryn lives in the US and has a daughter, Jaz.

Convicted armed robber Kevin Polwart will make a mistake soon that will send him back to prison, say police.

Polwart, 49, has been in the run since cutting his way out of Auckland Prison at Paremoremo through two perimeter fences using wirecutters from the prison workshop.

His son Darryn, an American army engineer, has appealed for his father to take his punishment like a man and give himself up.

He said police would not find Polwart because he had contacts and the right skills to stay in hiding.

"He's very smart, unfortunately, at doing bad things," he told The New Zealand Herald.

"I don't want to point out how skilful he is because I don't have respect for what he does, but he can do it."

However, police said New Zealand was a small place and Polwart could not run forever.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby from the North Shore police said the last time Polwart escaped from prison he regularly contacted the media.

This time he had not made contact but police would keep in touch with his family and contacts in Northland and in the Wellington region and Polwart would eventually be found.

"He has gone with the intent of keeping his head down but sooner or later he is going to have to come out and show himself," Mr Libby said.

He said anyone seeing Polwart should call police immediately.

"He robs people with firearms so he has to be dangerous," Mr Libby said.

Polwart and his brother were jailed for 10 years for armed robbery in 1999.

In 2001 he broke out of Upper Hutt's Rimutaka Prison and spent 41 days on the run during which he held up an Armourguard van in Auckland before he was recaptured.

Polwart is a medium-built Maori, 165cm tall.

Police said he had a distinctive moustache but may have shaved it off.

Anyone seeing Polwart should call police immediately on 111. Anonymous information can be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

- NZPA