A new bulletproof vehicle to be used to transport high-risk prisoners safely between locations has been added to the Correctional Services Agency’s fleet.

The armoured car, a Ford, was bought from a US company and cost just over €120,000. It is the first such vehicle to be purchased for local prison authorities.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said on Saturday that the vehicle will be used to transport prisoners safely. Sources told Times of Malta that its primary use will be to move high-profile inmates who require additional security.

“By providing good tools, we are also ensuring workers’ safety,” Camilleri said in a Facebook post.

“Prison workers are today fulfilling functions which until a few years ago members of other disciplined forces used to handle, and we are determined to provide them with the resources they need to work”.

A ministry spokesperson told Times of Malta that the addition of bullet-proof vehicles to the prison service’s fleet was a budgetary measure which was announced in 2020.

“A number of other vehicles will be arriving over the next few months as part of the 2021 budgetary measures,” the spokesperson said without elaborating.

According to draft financial estimates for 2021, the Home Affairs Ministry is expecting to spend €23.2 million on the Correctional Services Agency in 2021, up from an approved estimate of €16.5 million for 2020.