POA not ready to withdraw asylum request

President of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), Ceron Richards said while he is satisfied with the response of Government to prison reform and legislative framework to protect officers, he is not yet prepared to withdraw the Association’s request for asylum in Canada.

Speaking at a press briefing after a three-hour meeting with National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Prisons Commissioner William Alexander and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Richards said he would wait for further dialogue with the ministry before he made a decision on the request, citing his commitment to the safety of prison officers.

“We will be meeting with our general membership sometime this week to discuss what came out of this evening’s meeting. Once the Government is prepared to implement the necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of prison officers, we will not follow through with the asylum request. However, we are not yet ready to withdraw the request.”

Another meeting is expected to take place between the association and the various arms of government in two weeks’ time.

Al-Rawi also expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and said it has allowed the association, as well as Government, to not only address key security concerns but was an opportunity for the ministry to renew its commitment to the prison service through improved performance. He added that while he was not at liberty to divulge items on the association’s proposed legislative agenda, he said one powerful suggestion made in the meeting was legislation to dismiss errant prison officers.

“One very important suggestion made was the suggestion to remove corrupt officials from the workplace. Summary dismissal of corrupt officers is very complicated as it may be good idea, we the State are not the only voice in the matter.”

Al-Rawi added that one of the items discussed was the provision of firearms for off-duty prison officers and said the suggestion was an important one which should be considered carefully by all stakeholders.