The Prisons Officers Association says it will be anxioulsy awaiting news today on Cabinet’s decision on the recommendations submitted last week to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to deal with security concerns for prisons officers. Last Friday, a nine-member committee headed by Prof Ramesh Deosaran, which was mandated by Persad-Bissessar to look into the conditions within the prisons system, handed over an eight-page report on the current crisis at Golden Grove, Arouca.
The recommendations went before Cabinet’s Finance and General Purposes committee for priority discussion on Monday and will be discussed at today’s Cabinet meeting. One of the many recommendations was the construction of a new remand facility within 18 months. The committee submitted the report, which included two appendices—one a report from Deosaran completed in 2006, and the other, Inspector of Prisons Daniel Khan’s 2012 report. Khan is also a member of the committee.
The committee was set up after the shooting death of off-duty prisons officer Andy Rogers in Malabar on November 7 started a chain of events which led, among other things, to prisons officers being injured during rioting by the prisoners. Rogers’ colleagues subsequently staged a protest which led to prisoners rioting at the Arouca prison, leading Persad-Bissessar to name the committee to resolve the problems.
In a telephone interview with the Guardian yesterday, head of the association, Ceron Richards, said the his men are continuing their work-to-rule. He added that officers who stayed away from certain prisons had returned and were working to rule. “Officers are still working to the rules on the job, nothing will be normal in the prison unless the State lives up to their responsibilities. Those responsibilities are safe work environments and measures to improve and treat with safety for prisons officers, both on and off the job” Richards said.
Richards said the association is awaiting Cabinet’s decision and is optimistic. “The next part is for the Government to treat with the recommendations. We are hoping good sense prevails in that Cabinet, in looking at the report, action on all the recommendations would be taken so the prison service would fulfil its mandate,” Richards said.