Officers charge that not enough is being done to address their concerns

A national emergency, the scale and magnitude of the 2005 riot and torching of the Glendairy Prisons could become a reality at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, if administrators fail to resolve numerous matters that are placing officers in serious danger, prison sources say.

Sources at the St. Philip facility claim that among the areas of concern at the St Philip institution is security which they say is compromised, for instance, when as few as two prison officers are assigned to supervise inmates on 12-hour shifts for which no overtime is being paid.

But, Superintendent of Prisons Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse has insisted that he is not at liberty to discuss internal matters and warned that potential whistleblowers could land themselves in serious trouble.

Veteran trade unionist, Senator Caswell is further contending that efforts to frustrate the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) are further restraining officers from having their grievances addressed.

“We are afraid… one prison officer opens a cell with inmates and it is a risk,” revealed one officer who spoke anonymously for fear of punishment from his superiors.

The officer explained that best practices dictate that officers should patrol the prison in groups of three.

“It is a risk and your safety is at risk. Your life is at risk,” the inside source added.

Another officer revealed that some of their colleagues, many of whom have long-term financial obligations, have chosen to remain silent for fear of being targeted by authorities.

Making matters worse is the suspension of POA President Trevor Browne and the extended leave given to executive members which the officers claim has effectively “neutralised” the one organisation that could speak on their behalf.

The source accused the Superintendent of Prisons of adopting an “iron fist” style of leadership and added that it was also difficult to discuss grievances with Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams as it would be their word against their boss’.

“Something will happen here just like at Glendairy if these matters are not dealt with,” the source warned.

When contacted on Tuesday morning, Lieutenant Colonel Nurse told Barbados TODAY that he would “absolutely not” be discussing matters about the security of the prison in the press.

“I would wish to suggest that you say to those alleged prison officers who are bringing those matters to the press that they are in breach of every rule and should be cautious,” the prison boss warned.

He further described concerns about his accessibility and willingness to hear the concerns of his charges as “absolutely silly”.

“Their superintendent is at this prison every single day and he is available on every phone line. You just picked up the phone and called me, so that type of allegation suggests to me some wickedness afoot and I ain’t getting involved in that,” Nurse told Barbados TODAY.

However, Senator Franklyn, who is General Secretary of the Unity Workers’ Union and consultant to the POA declared that he too had been receiving complaints about the integrity of the prison. Concerns include insufficient handcuffs to prevent officers from being assaulted and female prison officers being asked to escort inmates charged with some of the country’s heinous crimes.

The Opposition senator further contended that the prison administration had restricted access to the POA’s office in defiance of a court order, restricting their ability to properly host Annual General Meetings and consult with their members.

“There is going to be an insurrection up there if they don’t behave themselves and the thing is that sometimes you can’t let the men out because there are not enough prison officers to supervise the prisoners. When you have those fellas bottled up and they can’t go outside to do a little exercise, you are heading for trouble,” Franklyn complained.

“The prison officers have no right to take industrial action, but because of that, their rights are being abused and nobody is doing anything about it; not the minister, not the Prison Board, nobody is doing anything about it. Now they are seeking to say that the Prison Officers’ Association is no longer in force because their Annual General Meeting cannot come off, but they cannot have access to the office to plan or do anything,” the Industrial Relations consultant contended.

In fact, he added that the issues have pushed many of the officers to seek assistance with psychiatrists for mental health issues.

“I am not talking about counsellors. I am talking about the real McCoy, a psychiatrist. It has reached that point and nobody seems to be interested in what is going on,” he concluded. (kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)