CAB129-53 — Page 79

8

Page 79

18

in the argument that Broadmoor patients should not be able to communicate with higher authorities without the knowledge of the Medical Superintendent. The present system haf berg a cause of some dissatisfestion ofthe part of the staff and we recommend that patients' communications with higher authorities should be seen by the Medical Superintendent before transmission.

Maintenance Staff

27. We have referred in paragraph 11 to the large Ministry of Works maintenance staff. To facilitate their work a large number of trusted work- men have been given pass keys to enable them to move about inside the Institution. Of the maintenance staff only the Resident Engineer and Foreman of Works have keys to enable them to get in and out of the Institution. Obviously the number of keys issued to workmen should be reduced to a minimum in the interests of security. The amount of traffic by maintenance personnel inside the Institution could be reduced by putting the works yard outside the security wall and as this can be done without much structural work we recommend it. In the interests of security we also recommend that all workmen who may come into contact with patients should be care- fully chosen and should receive regular instruction on the rules of security and that consideration should also be given to the desirability of providing them with a distinctive type of overall,

Patients' Ordinary Clothes

28. Inmates at Broadmoor have been allowed to wear ordinary clothing since 1880 and for many reasons it would be a retrograde step not to con- tinue this practice. When a patient is at work he wears distinctive working clothes and his ordinary suit is kept in a box or a cupboard. We recommend that in blocks where it appears desirable these cupboards and boxes should be locked so that a patient cannot have access to his ordinary clothes without the knowledge of a nurse.

Changing of Locks

29. We have referred in paragraph 16 to the changing of locks. We recommend that every effort be made to complete this change with the least possible delay.

PROCEDURE IN THE EVENT OF AN ESCAPE

30. The escapes which have taken place in the last two years have had a profound effect on the people living in East Berkshire and neighbouring counties and every possible step should be taken to allay the fears and insecurity which many of these people justifiably feel. We hope and believe that if our recommendations are adopted those feelings will gradually fade through the virtual elimination of the possibility of an escape. There can be no absolute guarantee against an escape, however, and the public are entitled to effective measures to warn them of an escape. In addition, the measures designed for securing the recapture of an escaped patient should be improved. In these connections we make the following findings and recommendations:— (i) There should be a distinctive siren or other audible warning which should be operated by the responsible officer on duty at Broadmoor as soon as an escape has been detected. This should be coupled electrically to an alarm in Wokingham Police Station. The siren will at the same time be a call for working parties to return, and to the staff off duty to report at once to the Institution.