Commissioner of Prisons condemns attacks on officer's homes

ACTING Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe stoutly condemned attacks on his officers, in a statement posted to the Facebook page of the Prison Service on January 22.

He strongly condemned the brutal and brazen attacks involving the shooting up of the residences of officers by unknown criminal elements under the cover of night.

"In what can be described as 'calculated and brazen acts,' the homes of three prisons officers were attacked in three separate incidents over the past few days.

"All homes were shot at multiple times. Thankfully, the officers and their families escaped physical harm."

Corraspe, after an emergency meeting with the Prison Service executive and consultation with national security agencies, unequivocally condemned the shootings.

He labelled the acts as direct threats against the lives of officers and an indirect assault on the criminal justice system.

Corraspe said the safety of officers was paramount, even as the security services were investigating these criminal acts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

He promised "enhanced counter-measures aimed at target-hardening of prison personnel and their families, especially when off-duty."

Corraspe urged all officers to remain vigilant, both on and off duty, and to prioritise the safety of themselves and their families.

He assured the country that the members of the Prison Service would not be daunted nor deterred in the execution of their lawful, sacred and honourable duty and responsibility to protect citizens from crime and the criminal element.

"The Prison Service remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold its mandate of public safety and maintenance of security utilising all feasible measures," the statement ended.

The Prison Officers Association (POA), in a post on its Facebook page on January 22, lamented, "Another officer and member of the association's house was shot up this morning at around 3.30 am in Malabar.

"Twenty-one shots were fired causing damage to property. Thankfully no one was injured."

On January 20, a post on the POA page said, "The homes of two members were shot up over the last 24 hours."

Newsday was unable to contact POA president Gerard Gordon.

However, on January 15 the POA Facebook page carried a post of his 24-minute interview on CCN TV6 Morning Edition where he complained about threats to his officers.

"The criminal element we deal with on a day to day basis, too many of them have the means to make good on these threats, as we have seen in the past."

Gordon lamented the fact of the housing situation of officers and of them not being armed "as they should be."

He said Corraspe and the police service were aware of threats made to prison officers and were trying to mitigate the fallout of these.

"But it does not diminish the fact that with just over 3,000 prison officers, we cannot put a police office at every prison officer's home."

He urged every prison officer have the ability "to apply for and be considered to be armed."