Lead Editor, Investigative Desk
A possible escape plan unhinged by prison officers in the Wayne Jackson Building at the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) in Arouca two Wednesdays ago, may have been the impetus for a fresh wave of violent attacks against officers over the last week and a half.
Prison officers Nigel Jones and Trevor Serrette were both shot and killed by gunmen days apart, sparking a fresh wave of concern by their colleagues and the Prison Officers’ Association (POA). Jones was shot dead at a taxi stand in Siparia on Tuesday last, while Serrette was shot dead by gunmen at his fruit and vegetable stall in Valencia two Fridays ago. An attempt was made on the life of a third prison officer, Umar Farrell, in El Dorado, Tunapuna, on Tuesday night but that was foiled and the gunmen escaped leaving their guns behind.
On Wednesday, November 24, however, prison officers searched the Wayne Jackson Building (formerly Building 13) and what they discovered shocked them.
“What we found were holes in the walls of the upper section and we had to remove the inmates and place them on the lower level. We discovered that the holes linked each cell and led all the way to the back of the Wayne Jackson Building. They were able to conceal the holes by plastering them over with pictures and newspapers. But it certainly looked like something bigger was in the planning,” a senior prison source told the Sunday Guardian.
Senior prison sources said the holes were big enough for a person to fit through.
At least three other prison sources working inside MSP believe it was part of an eventual escape route for a jailbreak plot.
The Sunday Guardian had reported exclusively about another jailbreak plot discovered by an intelligence agency a few months ago involving inmates housed at the MSP and officers of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) had also uncovered explosives and other paraphernalia outside the prison’s walls buried in a gardening area in June.
Prisons Commissioner Dennis Pulchan verified that on this particular Wednesday in question, “there was damage done to the building and the security of the building was compromised so we had to move them. We are conducting repairs at this time and that is all I can say about that particular matter at this time.”
Senior prison officers who remain on duty in the building confirmed that the locks of many of the cells had been damaged by the inmates and they had to change it “to a different style of locks.”
And while that remains a serious cause of concern among the ranks of the prison service, there is also troubling information about very senior prison officers directly assisting some of these high-risk inmates - potentially endangering the lives of their own colleagues.
Last week, it was revealed by Prison Officers’ Association general secretary (Second Division) Lester Walcott that the high-risk inmates at the Wayne Jackson Building had vowed to kill 13 prison officers who worked at the building before Christmas.
Further investigations by Guardian Media revealed that the list that Walcott was referencing, in fact, contained the names of 50 prison officers working at the building, which at least four senior prison sources confirmed “was handed over to a high-risk inmate by a very senior prison officer.”
On Friday, a list of 34 of the 50 names was leaked online. This occurred days after the Sunday Guardian had already been told about the detailed list of officers and had already seen several of the names.
Prison and intelligence sources said the behaviour of some senior officers is under scrutiny and they are hoping to get tangible results on this soon.
“The reason why they choose 13 of the 50 was that they were seen as soft targets, but that does not mean the others like myself are not in danger,” a prison officer working inside the Wayne Jackson Building told the Sunday Guardian.
“When the officers were assigned to the Wayne Jackson Building in July this year, all were made to fill a form out with personal information not only containing their home address but also other personal information about who their family members were and whether they were carrying a licensed firearm or not,” another senior prison source who was also part of that process said.
“The frightening thing now is that they know exactly where these prison officers are living or what they do in their spare time and their families, so they are very easy targets. If you realise, they went where Serrette had a little business and also by the other prison officer’s home in El Dorado, but he was lucky to escape. Jones lived in Fyzabad but the killers saw the opportunity to take his life while he was on his way home and shot him in Siparia, while he held his daughter’s hand. That’s truly disturbing and it really hurt us,” said a senior prison source also housed at the MSP’s Wayne Jackson Building.
Prison Commissioner Pulchan, when questioned about this process, confirmed that the officers had, in fact, filled out these forms with “personal and confidential information.”
How then is Commissioner Pulchan dealing with senior officers who may be aiding and abetting the other side?
“It is shocking to me that one of our own can do this. I am certainly doing some digging myself. I really want to ask why would you want to cause the death of innocent officers for the sake of criminals. Do you not have a conscience?” Pulchan said.
Deputy Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob said on Friday that they will be examining the veracity of the hit list that was circulated online.
Senior intelligence sources told Guardian Media that a high-level meeting was held earlier this week with several law enforcement heads to discuss the latest wave of attacks on prison officers.
“We did address concerns of persons inside the prison system helping these high-risk inmates. We’re putting some things in place to see if it can yield some solid results with the help of other agencies,” a high-ranking intelligence source revealed.
The long-standing discontent between the 95 high-risk inmates now housed at the Wayne Jackson Building has been boiling over for several months now. They have alleged unfair and brutal treatment by the prison officers manning the building. One high-risk inmate even issued a statement last week about the conditions and alleged abusive treatment meted out to them and asked for transparency and assistance from the media.
It is a claim that both Prison Commissioner Pulchan and the POA have vehemently denied in separate statements made over the last few days.
Last week, as he addressed the allegations about the conditions within the building, Pulchan had told the Guardian, “There are toilets, we installed showers in the yard, lighting fixtures and there is an adequate flow of natural air. All the requirements demanded by United Nations are met in that building. To say there are inhumane conditions is absolutely wrong.”
Pulchan added then that the Wayne Jackson Building was upgraded and additional prison officers were placed to ensure there is no gang recruitment from the alleged gang leaders housed there.
A senior MSP prison officer explained that the level of intimidation was just as terrifying as facing death itself.
“Just imagine that one of my colleagues does his job as best as he can and before he leaves the prison, he changes into civilian clothing just so that no one on the outside will know that he is a prison officer. He is a very private person. Then one day that all changed when he is sent pictures on his phone of his family and the house he lives in by inmates in the Wayne Jackson Building. What then is he supposed to do if he does not comply with their orders?”
Sources say while some prison officers are paid to do favours and bring in contraband, including cellphones which can fetch up to $10,000, others are blackmailed.
“We have tried to prevent this by rotating prison officers so they don’t become too familiar with the inmates and so the inmates will not get a grasp on our officers,” Commissioner Pulchan explained of at least one measure used to curb familiarity between officers and inmates.
But with the COVID-19 pandemic, this has become a Herculean task, as officers cannot be transferred as frequently as before, Pulchan admitted.
Pulchan reiterated that they will continue to ensure that order is kept at the prison and the days of lavish lifestyles by high-risk prisoners will become a thing of the past.
Prison officer: “Give us guns now”
The executions of prison officers by underworld figures over the years from behind prison walls have led to the cry for prison officers to be allowed to carry firearms.
To some measure, this became a reality over the last few years with some of them being issued Firearm’s User’s Licenses (FUL) under former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith.
But even this has now become an issue after Justice Devindra Rampersad on Friday declared illegal a policy that also allowed Prison Commissioner Dennis Pulchan the power to allow prison officers to take their service firearms home after their shifts ended due to safety concerns.
The outcome had an immediate impact on the personal safety of at-risk prison officers who benefitted from the “Keep and Carry” policy, as it required those on duty yesterday to lodge their firearms before returning home and those off duty to return their firearms.
However, one prison officer sent a voice note to the POA in a prison officer’s WhatsApp group earlier this week urging the body to put their cards on the table and let the public know that prison officers want the Firearms’ Act amended.
The prison officer contended that getting a FUL was no longer the route to go.
Another prison officer who knew the individual confirmed to Guardian Media that it was a genuine voice note by his colleague.
“I think it is high time we made a public announcement that we want the 41 members of parliament to amend the Firearms’ Act to allow all law enforcement officers, once they are confirmed that means they are permanent in their post, to be able to purchase a firearm. That must be an option available, once you are confirmed in your post.
The officer added, “We need an amendment to the Firearms’ Act to go to parliament as soon as possible. That is what we need to be saying to the public, that is what we want. All law enforcement officers: police, prison all others involved in law enforcement. The ones who are on probation could get a keep and carry until they confirm but give them that option. We need to move away from this FUL, FUL could never be the solution. Never! Because we always have officers coming in and we have officers leaving. Give them the option to have their personal thing. Confirmation is enough vetting. Some of us already working with firearms. Allow the law enforcement officer to be able to acquire his own firearm.”
The prison officer accused the POA of “beating around the bush” and said it was time for the matter to be ventilated in the public domain.
POA waiting for a response from PM
POA president Ceron Richards says prison officers being allowed to carry personal weapons “becomes even more relevant now” with the recent deadly attacks against officers.
“We have been asking for that for some years now. We need the Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act, similar to what they have in the US. This once passed, we must ensure there is a rigid criteria,” he said.
Richards, however, felt there was the need for a separate law.
“We sent this proposal a few years ago to the AG. All the meetings with the Ministry of National Security in the past have not borne any fruit and that is why we are asking to meet with the Prime Minister as the head of the National Security Council.”
Richards said the POA had written a letter to the Prime Minister which was sent on Thursday.
“We are hoping he will read it and meet with us so that we can once and for all find a solution before more lives are lost.”