Home Affairs and Information Minister Wilfred Abrahams has rubbished a viral video clip that claims there were attempts to cover up an incident at Dodds where a man was caught trying to take contraband into the prison.
He also denied that there was any connection between the person involved in the incident and the National Peace Programme which falls under the auspices of the Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General Corey Lane.
In a statement issued on Monday, Minister Abraham explained the Barbados Prison Service received credible information that a person, whom he did not identify, had intended to bring contraband to Dodds Prison. On his arrival, the individual was identified and he proceeded to the main checkpoint where he was searched by an officer and two flash drives were found hidden in a small compartment of his bag. He was interviewed by the Acting Superintendent of Prisons and the Barbados Police Service was informed. He was handed over to police and escorted from the compound.
“The individual at the time was part of an organised volunteer rehabilitation programme in film techniques,” Abrahams said, noting that the prison facilitates diverse training programmes designed to create marketable skill sets for the inmates to assist with their reintegration into society upon release. “This particular programme is in no way associated with the National Peace Programme.”
The individual was subsequently released by the Barbados Police Service which determined that while the flash drives he was taking into Dodds were unauthorised, they did not pose a threat to security at the prison, according to the home affairs minister.
He added: “The prison is a national security institution and for security reasons is not in the habit of reporting the success of its security procedures and operations in the press or to the public. Contrary to what is being alleged by certain misinformed persons in the video clip there was no cover-up of the incident.”
(PR/SD)
