The Penang police have been told to step up security in the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district, especially after the escape of seven prisoners who took off in a police van in Butterworth yesterday.

NONE Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who visited the SPT police headquarters today, asked for more personnel to be deployed to the district which is said to have recorded the highest crime rate in the state.

Penang has five districts, of which three are on the mainland - Seberang Perai Utara, Seberang Perai Tengah and Seberang Perai Selatan.

Lim was accompanied by Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng, Sungai Puyu assemblyperson Phee Boon Poh and Seberang Perai Municipal Councillor Steven Sim.

They handed over four bouquets of flowers to police personnel who had been escorting the prisoners to the Butterworth court, but had been attacked with chilli powder on the way.

The prisoners then hijacked the police van they were in and drove to a village in Tasek Gelugor before escaping.

State police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi said 120 personnel , including those from the General Operations Force and the Bukit Aman police air unit, are helping to search for the fugitives.

"The seven may not be in Penang any more,” Lim told a press conference after a meeting with SPT police chief ACP Azman Abd Lah and other officers.

"We hope that the police will take the necessary action and we hope that such an incident will not happen again. We do appreciate the police contribution in fighting crime, (and) showing that the state is the safest in the country.”