Police getting involved in B.C. halfway house security

Thursday, August 31, 2006 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/08/31/bc-corrections.html
Corrections Canada officials say they are finalizing plans to improve security at halfway houses in B.C., by posting police officers at two parole offices this fall.
The officers — one each in Vancouver and in the B.C. Interior — would be be ready to track down escapees as soon as possible."I think it's going to ensure that offenders who decide to go at large from a halfway house are brought into custody much more quickly, " said Corrections Canada spokesman Brian Lang .They would also help make a decision on when to notify the public. The move is also expected to improve communications among parole officers and police, and speed up public notification, says Lang. There are allegations that didn't happen in the case of Bill Abramenko, the Vernon senior who was beaten to death during a home invasion in 2004. Eric Fish, charged with the 75-year-old Abramenko's death, had escaped from a halfway house in the Okanagan city six weeks earlier.No public warning was issued about Fish. Abramenko's daughter, Tracy Barth, says she hopes the new plan results in better communication with the public. "When you see it happen again and again, you wonder does anyone ever really understand how serious this is." Barth says she also wants tougher laws to punish escapees once they're caught, to dissuade them from leaving in the first place.