FLOP SECURITY; Con cracks hi-tech code to roam jail.

Byline: EXCLUSIVE by MICHAEL DOYLE 

A MASTER criminal has cracked a new hi-tech security system that the Government plans to introduce to every jail in the country, the Irish Mirror can reveal.

The crook, currently on remand in Dublin's Cloverhill Prison, hacked into the sophisticated programme and managed to walk freely around the jail.

He gained access to a number of restricted areas as he strolled through security gates that are now unmanned because of the new palm print and pin code system.

The inmate, believed to be a major Dublin criminal, was only stopped after he was spotted in an area of the jail which is off limits to prisoners.

But last night there were fears the method he used to break the code could be sold to the country's most dangerous criminals in Portlaoise and Mountjoy - yet to introduce the new system.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "I can confirm the incident happened last Thursday.

"If I can describe the prison like the hub of a bicycle, the centre with all the wings leading off.

"Well, he got from the prison landing to the centre of the jail. Very strange because he was going in rather than going out. We have launched an investigation but it looks like he just chanced his arm at the palm reader and it worked but he had managed to get hold of a pin number.

"We have since had the manufacturers of the system in and they said the palm reader he used was faulty but it has now been fixed.

"It is certainly an unfortunate situation and we hope it doesn't happen again but in terms of a massive security breach it would have been impossible for him to leave the prison.

"I have used that system a number of times myself and would have thought it was impossible to breach but it did happen."

Each warder has their own ID number to correspond with their print and security gates will only open if both are keyed in simultaneously.

The system has been tested in a number of prisons over the past year.

The idea behind it is to cut down on prison officer overtime as Justice Minister Michael McDowell aims to slash costs.

But last Thursday's incident throws the Government's new security plan up in the air because it was intended to be used in the massive prison complex planned for Ashbourne, Co Meath.

Yesterday, the Prison Officers Association reacted angrily to the news that the palm and pin system could have been breached in this way.

General Secretary John Clinton said: "This is a matter of extreme concern for us both nationally and to our local branch.

"I've never been a fan of that system but we will be asking the Prison Service to conduct a complete review. If it happened once, who's to say it couldn't happen again?"

The Department of Justice said it was unaware of the security breach but confirmed the incident was a matter for the Prison Service.

A spokeswoman said: "It is an operational matter for the prisons but I'm sure if there is a problem with it they will brief the minister accordingly."

CAPTION(S):

CONCERNS: Dublin's Cloverhill Prison where inmate cracked the sophisticated palm and pin code system; HANDY: Machine reads palm print; SYSTEM: Each warder has own pin