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Minister pleas for harmony in prison
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Sep 11, 2006 15:51 UTC
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PHILIPSBURG - All prison guards will be part of the shifts and will receive riot training. Once finished with their training they will be randomly asked to be on riot standby in case any disturbances occur at the prison. The unions and Prison Director Rudsel Ricardo will have regular meetings to evaluate how the implementation of the agreements has been going. The first meeting will take place today.
Two days of discussions concluded on Saturday afternoon with the signing by Minister of Justice David Dick, Ricardo and unions ABVO and WICSU/PSU of a document intended to pave the way for tranquillity and stability within the prison system.
The only prison guards who won’t be part of the shifts will be those in charge of re-socialisation projects, kitchen, sport, library and women’s cells. All parties involved agreed that they would work together for harmonious cooperation in prison.
Another conclusion reached was that an external security organisation would be put in place in due time to guarantee double control of everyone entering prison. The prison chief of security will decide each day who will be placed at the prison main entrance to conduct the controls. The head of security will also see to it that regular cell controls take place.
WICSU/PSU president William Reed was optimistic about the agreement reached. “We addressed all points that worried us. The Minister had requested a better relationship and we as the unions want to maintain this relationship for a prosperous development at the prison,” Reed said.
He stressed the importance of not having one specific riot unit anymore. “All prison guards will have the feeling that when something happens they all can be called upon to intervene and not only members of a riot unit,” Reed said.
Dick was also positive in his comments on Saturday. He said the main progress booked was that all parties involved had agreed to go back to the basics and had tried to reach an agreement based on the resources available. However, Dick said there was still a lot to be done to realise a more ideal situation.
“A new prison structure has to be put in place. But that is something for the future. Most important for St. Maarten at this point in time is that all parties will work together in harmony,” said Dick.
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