By Michael Alexander

CONTROVERSIAL PRISONER escort firm Reliance was back under scrutiny last night after a prisoner escaped from the custody of his escorting officer at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court prompting a manhunt in central Fife.

Steven Craigie (22), a remand prisoner from Perth Prison, was in the custody of Reliance Security Services at about 5.15 pm when he slipped off his cuffs while being returned to a prisoner transport vehicle parked at the Kirkcaldy court.

Reliance said he was then involved in a fight with the guard before he ran off.

Police do not regard the prisoner as dangerous but warned the public not to approach him.

A search involving police officers and dog handlers quickly got under way although late last night Craigie remained at large.

The escape is the latest involving the troubled private security firm Reliance, but the first involving a prisoner in Fife.

The firm, which began handling prisoners at some courts in Strathclyde in April, has been under fire for releasing a string of prisoners in the west of Scotland by mistake as well as the occasional prisoner escape.

A Reliance spokesman last night said an investigation was under way into the latest escape.

“A prisoner slipped his cuffs today while being escorted from Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to the van taking him back to prison,” he said.

“He was involved in a scuffle with the Reliance officer who sustained some minor injuries trying to prevent the escape. It is now a police matter.”

It is understood the guard, who sustained cuts and bruises, was a former prison officer with 10 years’ experience.

Police describe Craigie, who is originally from the Leven area, as 5 feet 9 inches tall, of slim build, clean shaven with short brown hair. He was wearing jeans and a black jumper with cream stripes.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said, “We are aware of an incident at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court today. It would be inappropriate to comment any further as the matter is now subject to a police investigation.”

Last night police would not be drawn on exactly what happened or why Craigie had appeared in court yesterday.

A police spokesman told The Courier, “If Craigie or anyone fitting his description is seen in suspicious circumstances, members of the public are asked not to approach him but to call Fife Constabulary immediately.”

Reliance employees began shadowing police, prison and court staff in Tayside and Fife in mid- October. They took over full-time at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court a matter of weeks ago with Cupar Sheriff Court following shortly after. There have been no reports of any local problems until now, with some court staff in Fife known to have commented recently that Reliance appeared to be doing a “good job.”

If rolling out the contract had gone according to the original timetable, it would have been in place across Scotland by last month.

But amid accusations that ministers were “gambling with public safety,” concerns over the accidental release of prisoners initially forced Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson to extend the planned roll-out of the £126 million nationwide contract until the prison service had assessed Reliance’s readiness to proceed, and until police and prosecutors gave similar assurances.

Campbell O’Connell, operations director of Reliance in Scotland, recently said he was confident his officers had been robustly assessed during the shadowing period by the Scottish Prison Service, and said the recent extensions to services in Dundee and Tayside were going well.

The Scottish Prison Service said lessons learned from the early stages of Reliance’s involvement included rolling out the contract more gradually, with a large number of smaller phases, a “rigorous” assessment of its readiness to proceed, and the importance of on-the-job shadowing to complement training.

Reliance is now responsible for court and prison escort duties across the country. Having already taken over Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, Central Scotland, Lothian and Borders, Fife and Tayside police force areas, the announcement last week that Grampian and Northern police areas would follow completed its cover.