Brake failure caused last month's collision within the police and prison bus transport convoy on Bernard Road, The Nassau Guardian has confirmed.
Superintendent Carolyn Bowe, the officer in charge of the Traffic Division, told The Guardian that failing brakes on the school bus used by police to carry prisoners caused the vehicle to crash into the prison bus.
Two prisoners and one guard received treatment for minor injuries, officials said.  Sixty-seven inmates and 14 guards were on the buses, according to officials.
According to a source with knowledge of the May 5 incident, the convoy left the prison without a lead patrol car, which controls the pace of the escort.  The officers responsible for leading the patrol were stuck at police headquarters as they reportedly could not find the keys for their vehicle.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said prison guards with little experience heading the convoy filled in for the police.
Following the incident, the police have started using another bus to transport prisoners.  That bus, which has uncovered roof hatches, was in an accident last week.
It is understood that a police officer may be charged with causing the collision between the police transport bus and a truck.
The accident occurred last week near the traffic light on the Paradise Island Bridge. According to source, the lead patrol car reportedly failed to ensure the way was clear for the convoy.
The police bus crashed into a truck after the patrol car had already passed.
Assistant Commissioner Glenn Miller, who has overall control of uniformed officers, told The Guardian that officers leading the convoys also have to obey traffic signals.  He said the car leading the escort is supposed to ensure the way is clear for the other vehicles.
Government has plans to reduce the number of prisoners who are ferried from the prison to court with the construction of a remand court on the prison compound.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham recently announced that the building should be completed by September.  Once the court is functional, prisoners will only leave the premises if they have a trial.
Ingraham said, "Honorable members are aware that the transportation, daily, of large numbers of prisoners from the prison in Fox Hill to courts located in the center of the City of Nassau, to have their remand continuance hearings, occupies the time and attention of many police and prison officers who might be more usefully and effectively assigned.  Further, police escorted prison bus convoys are increasingly becoming not only an annoyance to neighborhoods traversed by the convoys, but also a danger to pedestrians and to regular vehicular traffic."
 

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