"To hell with the State and to hell with the Prison Service. They don't care about us."
Those were the angry words of the president of the Prison Officers Association, Cerron Richards at a news conference Wednesday afternoon in response to the shooting death of another prison officer, Darren Francis, on Wednesday morning.
Surrounding by several prison officers at the Prison Sports Club in Arouca, Richards said prison officers will walk off the job.
He invited the Cabinet to come and run the prisons instead.
"We are putting the state on warning. We are going to leave this job. It looks like the Attorney General knows how to do it. It looks like the Minister of National Security can do it. We will leave this job," Richards said.
He added: "We angry at the state. Imagine in Trinidad and Tobago a cigarette truck has more value that prison officers. They rob a cigarette truck and within minutes there was a response. (Prison) officers killed with impunity and we still have to wait."
As Richards spoke, several prison officers shouted loudly, some pointing to the fact that five prison officers have been killed for the year.
"The officers are saying they will walk off the job. The officers will leave the job and the prison officers association will support them," Richards continued.He called on National Security Minister Stuart Young and Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to explain where the push-back is.
"They pushed back for a cigarette truck but no push-back for lives of prison officers," Richards said.
Richards told the news conference that this morning's murder was the straw that broke the camel's back.
President of the Prison Association, Cerron Richards addresses as news conference at the Prison Sports Club in Arouca today.
He added: "Dr Keith Rowley, bring you and your Cabinet and come and man the prison. We have nothing more to say to the state. We are leaving."
"Only one side is dying. The more they're saying that they're assisting, officers are dying. They say a Task Force is set up. Where is the result of the Task Force? We are not taking this any longer. The state do(es) not care and if the state do(es) not care, why the hell we should care?" he asked.
Just after 4 am Wednesday morning, prison officer Darren Francis, 38, was shot in the head by an unknown assailant at his home at Hill View Avenue, Sixth Company, New Grant.
Police said Francis, who worked with the prison radio unit and celebrated his birthday earlier this month, was ambushed and shot.
His murder reportedly came hours after the police intercepted a phone call emanating from the Maximum Security Prison, where prisoners reportedly put out hits on prisons officers in retaliation for the seizure of their cellphones recently.
Only two weeks ago, Francis had expressed his sadness at the death of Senior Supt of Prisons Wayne Jackson, who was gunned down outside his home moments after arriving there.
The Tacarigua home of another prison officer, Khalil Baksh, was also firebombed on October 5.