Trinidad and Tobago: Inmates threaten to kill 13 prison officers

Trinidad and Tobago: Inmates of Maximum Security Prison in Arouca threatened to kill atleast 13 prison officers before this years’ Christmas if the officers are not transferred from Wayne Jackson Building.

On last Friday and Monday, two prison officers were murdered. Prison officer Trevor Serrette was the first killed on Friday, and on Monday, prison officer Nigel Jones was shot dead in Siparia. 

 Prison Officers’ Association general secretary – Lester Walcott cited, “The information I have is that inmates at Building 13, which is now called Wayne Jackson Building, have said that 13 prison officers will be killed before Christmas if they are not moved out of the building, and that is the message we are getting from behind the walls, or one prison officer will be killed every week, and that was also the information we received”. 

Following the statement, Walcott expressed his anguish and cited that this is kind of an individual that are behind bars, controlling a system, which plans to murder a prison officer, adding that, “And that is why I am saying as a nation that has a national security framework, that if we allow this evil act to continue, we have failed the country”.  

He further highlighted that getting death threats, the prison officers related to the unit are not willing to do the job until some security guidelines are not issued for their safety.

Meanwhile, the President of the Prison Officers’ Association – Ceron Richards, called on the T&T Prime Minister – Dr Keith Rowley, to look into the matter as being the head of the national security council. 

Richards asserted, “We have brought proposals to the Ministry of National Security and the Attorney General on matters relating to the prison, and these have fallen on deaf ears, and we are yet to see the implementation”. 

“National security is under attack, the country is under attack through the Prison Service, since the service is a key apparatus of national security and our institution is under serious attack by the criminal elements and what we are not seeing is any meaningful response by the State to treat with those attacks over the years”, he further added.