Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3948/-1
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Prison Officers Taking Two-Week Training Course
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Sixteen of Anguilla’s Prison Officers are currently attending a two-week basic and refresher course at the Soroptimist Hall. The facilitator is Ruel Hixon, retired Deputy Superintendent of the Montserrat Prison. The training started on Monday September 25 with an opening ceremony chaired by Acting Assistant Superintendent of Her Majesty’s Prison, Hugh Providence.
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Opening Ceremony for Prison Officers’ Course
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Mr Hixon described the course that will include general aspects of security, team building, report writing, role conflict, searches, leadership, evidence giving, assessment reports and much more. He said the aim should be to have a secure, safe, just, productive and decent prison. He stressed the need to have more effective security at the prison and suggested that there should be a better relationship between prison officers and prisoners. One of the aims should be the preparation of prisoners for re-settlement in the community when they have served their term.
An address was given by Mr J Norris Payne, the Chairman of the Visiting Committee of the Prison. He pointed out that the majority of prison officers are from overseas including Guyana, Dominica, St Kitts and Barbados and although Anguilla is grateful for their service he believes that there should be more Anguillians taking on the job. Of the eleven officers at the opening ceremony only two were from Anguilla. He told the officers to stand tall, to demand respect, to always be alert, not to take messages for prisoners, not to pretend to be a friend to a prisoner, make sure the surroundings of the prison are kept clean and tidy by the prisoners, and make sure that there are two officers in charge of a prisoner when he is being moved from one place to another. He invited the officers to have a very fruitful workshop and to put into practice what they were taught.
Acting Superintendent of the Prison, Neville Hamilton, welcomed the facilitator whom he described as very experienced. He noted that the officers work in a dangerous environment and it is a demanding job that requires their best effort. He suggested that the training will sharpen their skills and urged them to take it seriously, to be on time each day and to do their best. There are some 23 prison officers and in the second week of the course others who have been working this week, will be attending.
A vote of thanks was given by Prison Officer Julianna Trotman who thanked all the speakers and the media for attending, saying that the officers are looking forward to increasing their skills to enable them to perform their job to the best of their ability.
The mission statement of the prison reads, “Her Majesty’s Prison serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts. Our duty is to look after them with humanity and help them lead law abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.”