Department silent as questions raised over lack of changes to Broome prison in wake of second jailbreak

There have reportedly been no changes to security at Broome Regional Prison in the wake of the October escape of 27-year-old Warrick Walkerbear. Mr Walkerbear was understood to have scaled a building inside the prison and climbed through razor wire, before running down Carnarvon Street towards Town Beach. In the days after Mr Walkerbear was recaptured, Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston confirmed Mr Walkerbear had escaped from the women’s exercise area of the prison — the same area Maude Dixon, escaped from in early 2020. An inspection of the the prison from the outside suggests there have been no changes to security at the area in question since Mr Walkerbear’s escape. Maude Dixon, 23, was in February sentenced to five years behind bars for escaping the prison and later setting fire to the century-old Broome Primary School, causing more than $8 million in damage. The Broome Advertiser understands no physical changes were made to the area after Dixon’s escape, and again no changes have been made in the wake of Mr Walkerbear’s dash from the same spot. The Department of Justice declined to comment. In October the Department also refused to comment on whether any changes had been made in the wake of Dixon’s escape. A spokesperson said immediate actions had been taken to prevent a re-occurrence and a thorough investigation and internal review of the most recent incident was being conducted.