3 prison officers held with contraband

UPDATE:

THREE prison officers are in custody after they were caught trying to smuggle contraband items into the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca as they reported for their shift early yesterday morning. Among the contraband were cellphones, chargers, wads of cash and packets of cigarettes.

Police and prison sources confirmed two officers were held shortly after 8 am, when a routine search of their bags turned up the goods. They were trying to get into the Remand Yard section of the prison, where prisoners with pending court matters are housed.

Minutes later, the third officer was held when contraband was found in his bag as he entered the maximum-security section of the prison, which houses high-risk prisoners and those convicted and serving time.

The prison officers each had less than ten years’ experience and were below the age of 40.

The Arouca police were called and the officers were taken into custody.

Contacted for comment, Prisons Commissioner Gerald Wilson praised the vigilance of officers on duty at the gates at both the Remand Yard and Maximum Security sections for detecting the illicit items and alerting senior officers. Wilson said the executive of the Prisons Service has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct and illegal activities among prison officers.

He said he would like to be able to summarily dismiss any officer guilty of any criminal offence and especially for smuggling of contraband. Wilson said errant officers pose a serious security threat not only to their colleagues but to the prison system as a whole, and such incidents have made it difficult for the prison service to gain the trust and support of the public.

“To be honest, I wish that I had the power to dismiss these officers from the service, but I don’t have that power. The proper procedure has to take place and it would have to go to court and the Service Commission would have to play their part.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Three prison officers have been held allegedly trying to smuggle cellphones and related electronic accessories into the Golden Gove Remand Yard and Maximum Security Prison in Arouca this morning.

According to sources two of the officers were discovered trying to smuggle the items into the Remand Yard section of the prison, while another was held shortly after trying to smuggle similar items into the Maximum Security section.

Newsday spoke to Prisons Commissioner Gerald Wilson who confirmed the officers' arrest and said this was evidence of heightened security measures implemented at the nation's prisons earlier this month. He said this followed from the arrest of three visiting members of public who attempted to smuggle drugs stashed inside watermelons earlier this week.

"We have improved our intelligence capabilities and we continue to adopt a zero tolerance approach to prison officers who run afoul of the system and it's policies. It is just a matter of continuing to do the same."