Jail break at LNP?

Three notorious armed robbers identified as Patrick Kollie, James Harris and Thomas Kamara have reportedly escaped detention at the headquarters of the Liberia National Police.

Credible sources, however, told this paper Thursday, 25 September that criminal investigators have established that the detention facility at the LNP headquarters was never tampered with.

Instead, the NewDawn has also been reliably informed that the three criminal suspects left the police holding cell early Wednesday morning under the cover of darkness with the reported knowledge of some senior police officers.

When contacted, Police Spokesman Sam Collins told the New Dawn that “nothing like that went on,” insisting that no senior officer had been asked to stand down with regards to any such claim. But our sources said five patrol officers, assigned at the Charge of Quarters, are being detained in connection with the escape.

The suspected armed robbers were said to be part of a criminal ‘empire’ headed by another notorious killer Lewis Kennedy, who was recently killed by an angry mob in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.

Lewis Kennedy, School Face, Thomas Kamara, James Harris and Patrick Kollie were among those declared wanted by the LNP under the administration of ex-Police Chief Marc Amblard, following a jailbreak at the Zwedru Correction Palace in 2009. School Face was shot dead during an exchange of gunfire with armed riot police when the Police Support Unit and Anti-Robbery Squad went in pursuit of the jail breakers.

Last week, the three escapees were arrested in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County and Monrovia respectively. The investigators reportedly told police authorities that the escape of the three armed robbers was facilitated by an insider.

Over the past weeks, uniformed armed robbery incidents have been panicking Monrovia and its surroundings, especially during curfew hours, with residents pointing fingers at robbers in police and military uniforms.

Though the police continue to deny any involvement in such criminal activities to include the alleged criminal jail break from Central Police Headquarters, the situation could further worsen the already dim image of the police.

In August alone, the police, public affairs disclosed that at least seven armed robbery cases were reported and sent to the court; and back from January to July of this year, at least 24 armed robbery cases were documented and sent to court.