Escape at Tetovo Juvenile Correctional Home: two children and one adult ward left closed unit

Two children and one adult ward fled yesterday from the closed unit with stricter measures at the Tetovo Juvenile Correctional Home (VP Home “Tetovo”) in the village of Volkovija, Brvenica Municipality.

"The Tetovo Police Department was notified yesterday by the VP Home 'Tetovo' about an escape, i.e., the disappearance of three wards from this closed institution. The police are asked to secure them and return them to the home," said the Tetovo police.

The facility's director, Brane Stojchevski, was unavailable for comment about where the prison police officer assigned to the unit had been during the incident, and what he was doing while the wards left through the door. Authorities also did not answer whether the apparent ease of exit means anyone can enter the closed institution that houses a very specific category of children and minors serving educational measures imposed by court decisions.

Security questions and next steps

The escape has raised immediate questions about procedures in the closed unit and the role of the prison police detail. Closed units are intended for wards subject to stricter supervision, and any breach prompts both operational reviews at the institution and a police response to locate and return the missing wards.

Police have been asked to secure and return the three wards and to clarify the circumstances of their absence. The director's unavailability and the missing explanation about the prison police officer's whereabouts have increased calls for a transparent account from both the correctional home and law enforcement.

Photo: SDK.MK)