Security won’t be stepped up at Games village

Sydney: Security at Sydney's Olympic village would not be stepped up despite a prisoner escape drama near the site, New South Wales police commissioner Peter Ryan said on Wednesday.

Two prisoners who commandeered a vehicle carrying a South Korean Olympic official with three Games volunteers from Australia's Korean community are still on the run.

Ryan, who is in charge of all security for the Games, played down the breach as "an unfortunate incident".

"It was two prisoners escaping from jail. It happens not irregularly," he told reporters.

"The Olympic village is highly secure - it's probably the most secure place in the whole of Australia at the moment and there is no need to increase security at all.

"It was an unfortunate incident where this vehicle happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and it could have happened to anybody."

Ryan said IOC members and Games organisers had raised the incident at this morning's Olympic briefing.

Concerns were expressed about the welfare of the Koreans but he had reassured the meeting they were well.

"(The Koreans) were shocked and obviously shaken because the men had blood on their hands from climbing the barbed wire," Ryan said.

The inmates had climbed a fence to get out of Australia's biggest jail, Silverwater prison, which lies within sight of Olympic Park.

Chased by guards, they commandeered the van. One of the volunteers was six months pregnant but all escaped unhurt when a prison guard grappled with the escapees.

"We believe at least one of the escapees might have been injured scaling the prison fence and are asking all hospitals and medical centres to be on the lookout for men seeking treatment for lacerations," a police spokesman said.

The men were believed to be unarmed at the time of the escape but are considered dangerous and should not be approached.

The men have been identified as convicted armed robber Chad Richards, 26, and thief Alan Charles Stebens.



(c) Reuters Limited.