Young: I have no problem meeting prisons officers

National Security Minister Stuart Young said yesterday that he and Prison Officers’ Association president Ceron Richards had agreed that next Tuesday would have been the best day for him to meet with the organisation’s members.

“I have no problem meeting with officers,” Young told reporters at the post-Cabinet media briefing, adding that he understood the officers’ criticism about the government’s response to several of their colleagues’ murders. It’s a difficult situation, he said, but he is open to listening to them.

“The truth of it is there’s no flick of the switch solution,” he said, adding that while there are some suggestions, including allowing officers to carry firearms, he would not want to say anymore and alert criminal elements to the plan. He acknowledged that there were “rogue elements” in the security forces, and while it was not clear if that was the case in these instances, there is a concerted effort among law enforcement to root out corruption.

Young added that on Monday, before the murder of prison officer Darren Francis on Tuesday, he had already spoken with heads of security about the prison system. “I have seen the emotional outbursts yesterday and the questions about what is being done. The truth is things were already being put in place. I can understand the emotions yesterday because it was very tragic but the systems will be strengthened over time,” he said.

Young said he had received reports this morning that 25 officers at the maximum security prison in Arouca had called in sick but it did not affect operations since prison executives had already put in contingency plans.

He also noted that the families of prison officers slain in the line of duty were entitled to $1 million in compensation but it was unclear if these situations counted as such. “I believe I have a part to play in that decision, but I don’t want to say more at this stage,” he said.