Prison officers in Trinidad and Tobago say their security concerns have gone unresolved for too long, and have warned that unless steps are taking to address their problems, the prison service “will shut down”.
President of the Prison Officers Association Ceron Richards issued the warning on Wednesday, two days after a senior prison official was killed. Two people are in police custody being questioned for that murder.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Richards said the Prison Service “is fast approaching critical mass” and everybody in the system was frustrated.
National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, who met with the Prison Service’s executive, said consideration was being given to providing prison officers with firearms and providing security for them outside of work, but he did not say when a decision would be made.
