Postby shake d livin wake d dead » September 5th, 2015, 6:52 am
Prisons chief commends officers
Saturday, September 5 2015
COMMISSIONER of Prisons Sterling Stewart commended his officers yesterday after another prisoner attempted to break out of the Golden Grove Remand Prison on Thursday, but his escape was foiled by prison officers.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to the Superintendent, Supervisor and staff of the Remand Prison, Golden Grove, for the courage and integrity with which they dealt with the recent circumstances at the facility yesterday (Thursday)” read a release sent by the Commissioner of Prisons yesterday.
“Continue to do your duties without fear and favour as we seek to carry out our mandate as keepers of the nations prisons, and public safety.” On Thursday the prisoner, whose name was not released, attempted to jump the fence at the Remand Prison, but prison officers managed to nab him before he could escape. Stewart commended the prison officers in the release, saying that the interception of the prisoner and recent foiling of the attempt to bring in contraband into the Remand prison, was evidence that the vast majority of prison Officers were diligent and vigilant.
The Commissioner, however, had cause to suspend two prison guards earlier this week on the basis that they may have been negligent in their duties, resulting in the escape of two prisoners at the Carerra Maximum Security Prison.
While investigations continue into the jail break, Prison Officers Association President, Ceron Richards said that operational staff should not be the only ones under scrutiny in the probe.
“The Commissioner of Prisons has the right to take whatever action is necessary where an infringement has been committed, and we have no wish to criticise his powers” said Richards, “But we do not support operational staff being solely responsible in this incident.” Reiterating the stance that he made in an early morning talk show on local television earlier in the week, the POA president told Newsday that even if the two prison guards had in fact breached protocol on August 31, resulting in the escape of Steve Mc Gilvery and Leroy Mohammed, there should have been other things in place in the event that they prisoners manage to slip the guards.
“There has been no implementation of any of the upgrades that we have been clamouring to get for years,” Richards lamented “Even if prisoners manage to get out of the cell and past the prison guards there should be some kind of backup to stymie their progress. But the two prisoners have gone off the island, and seems to have completely disappeared.” Richards added that aside from investigating the guards on duty, employees of the Prison Service, at all levels should be put to task. He alluded that the staff on the ground in the Prison Service were being made into scapegoats.
Meanwhile, the search for the two escapees continues, prison officers, and Trinidad and Tobago Police remain clueless as to where the two men could be hiding.
While the nation was celebrating its 53rd Independence, on August 31, the two prisoners snuck out of Carrera Maximum Security.
At about 6.47 pm on Monday, prison officers received a report that the two men were not in their cells.
An hour later, prison officers confirmed that they were two prisoners short.
McGilvery, who can be identified by the tattoo of a scorpion on his neck, and another tattoo that reads “Only God Can Judge Me” was serving a 30-year sentence after he was convicted of unlawful killing. Mohammed, who has a scar on his neck from a bullet wound, was serving a ten-year sentence for robbery with violence.
It has been five days since the two men have escaped. The search continues.
them men getting real brave these days...good thing this plan did not pull through
