Fed up by the increased number of death threats on a daily basis and frustrated by the apparent lack of police action, prisons officers are expected to meet with Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs next Monday to discuss the issue. President of the Prisons Officers Association, Rajkumar Ramroop, yesterday complained that prisons officers were forced to work under very "trying circumstances," and the majority also have concern for the safety of their families.
Ramroop said the association held a lengthy discussion with Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Collin Partap, on Monday during which the safety of prisons officers regarding inside and outside the prisons were discussed. Another issue discussed was increasing the number of bulletproof vests and "stab-proof vests" available to officers.
"Prisons officers are threatened on a regular basis-every week the association writes to the Prisons Authority to seek redress. "This is an ongoing and contentious issue," Ramroop said. Saying that the association was totally against the issue of conjugal visits, he said such a privilege could result in further security breaches in the prisons.
"Basic facilities are lacking in the prisons and money could be spent to improve these areas rather than outfit the prisons to make conjugal visits available," Ramroop said. The issue of compensation was also high on the agenda as prisons officers were yet to receive the promised $1,000 in their salaries. Ramroop, however, said Partap assured the matter would be rectified and officers were also promised that the monies would be paid retroactively.