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Four prisoners have been caught as they tried to stage a daring escape from Mt Eden Prison using sheets they knotted together to climb a wall.
The inmates shimmied an internal wall and were attempting to scale a perimeter one when staff spotted them at 3.26pm yesterday, said the Department of Corrections northern regional manager, Warren Cummins.
The four had been in a segregated internal yard, in an area which was difficult to monitor because of the jail's layout.
But sharp-eyed staff had noticed unusual activity on the perimeter fence and were able to apprehend the prisoners immediately. Mr Cummins commended the staff for their actions, but he would not reveal any more details of the escape attempt, citing security reasons.
He said police were notified and the four prisoners were to be charged with attempting to escape.
Mr Cummins said breakout escapes, where the security of a prison was breached, were increasingly uncommon thanks to modern facilities and improved security.
The number of escapes has dropped 78 per cent in the past 10 years.
Prisoners who escape or try to can face internal charges, lose privileges or have their sentences extended.
