WA murderer escapes minimum security jail

A convicted murderer has escaped from a Western Australian jail.

Brian William Edwards, 48, walked out of the minimum security Karnet Prison Farm last night.

Police have revealed Edwards, who is classified as extremely dangerous, has escaped twice before.

They say Edwards murdered a young couple after escaping from Bunbury Regional Prison in 1979; he was recaptured days later.

Edwards was sentenced to death, and later life imprisonment, for the double murder.

Detective Senior Sergeant John Wibberley from the prison unit says police have launched a statewide hunt.

He said members of the public should not approach Edwards.

"Also be aware of any vehicles that may have been tampered with or any stolen vehicles in the Karnet Serpentine area," he said.

Edwards's is the fourth prison breakout in less than three weeks in Western Australia, and the second in less than a day.

The State Government is still reeling from revelations that a prisoner accessed classified information on other inmates, a six-hour siege involving a serial sex offender and the suspension of two prison officers for allowing inmates to get drunk on home-made alcohol.

The Government is yet to announce the terms of reference for an inquiry into the security breaches, and has yet to confirm whether the former justice minister, Michelle Roberts, will be called to give evidence to defend her performance.

However, the Government has announced that minimum security prisons will be surrounded by razor wire in response to the latest escape.

Justice Minister John D'Orazio says the Government will spend $7 million upgrading security at Karnet and Wooroloo to prevent future incidents.

The Opposition says the Government has waited too long to fix problems in the prison system.