Senior prison officer held on detention order amid probe into MSP

Anna-Lisa Paul

Senior Reporter

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An acting Assistant Superintendent of Prisons with over 20 years of service was detained on Thursday night by police officials under a Preventive Detention Order (PDO) as part of the ongoing investigation into illegal activities at the Maximum Security Prison (MSP), Arouca.

The senior official, whose substantive post was that of a Prison Supervisor II, was taken into custody and brought to the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre (ECRC), Santa Rosa, where he remained yesterday.

Acting Prisons Commissioner Hayden Forde confirmed the officer’s detention yesterday when contacted but declined to say much else, except: “The investigation is ongoing, and the police will make a determination one way or the other.”

Asked about the morale of prison officers as news of the official’s detention spread, Forde said he had not received much feedback from officers on the matter.

He, however, was also unable to provide more information about a second senior prison official – namely a superintendent of prisons – who had been detained on Thursday, questioned, and released.

Pressed on what parameters had been outlined in the PDO to indicate exactly what the police were looking for, Forde said he had not yet seen the document as of 3 pm, but assured: “The police will have to do their investigations and decide if to proffer charges.”

He added, “I held, and continue to hold, that for whatever reason an officer is found wanting, they have to be treated accordingly.”

The detained senior prison officer was last assigned to the Carrera Island Prison, following a transfer from the MSP, which came one week after former acting prisons commissioner Carlos Corraspe was sent on over 200 days of accrued vacation leave in early August.

T&T currently remains under a State of Emergency (SoE), which took effect on July 18. The SoE was reportedly initiated based on a recommendation by Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro that credible threats had surfaced against government officials.

It was claimed that these threats had originated from behind prison walls, as warring gangs allegedly formed a unified criminal syndicate to destabilise the country and target government and key state officials.

CoP warns: We are coming for you

Responding to news of the prison officer’s detention, Commissioner Guevarro acknowledged: “We will not bury our heads in the sand and deny that there are challenges in all arms of law enforcement.”

He indicated the police service was not afraid to confront and address this reality.

The top cop said they remained “committed to addressing those who are desirous of straying from the lawful path.”

Pointing to the arrest of one of his own police officers on Wednesday – a police corporal with 24 years of service detained for allegedly being a gang member – Guevarro urged: “Let this serve as a clear warning: if you are part of the problem, tomorrow we may be coming for you.”

He reaffirmed: “The institutions entrusted with public safety are working together to root out criminal influences within our ranks, but as always, I am asking you to allow the process to take its course. Integrity will not be compromised.”

Association not surprised by PDO

Meanwhile, the President of the Prison Officers Association (POA), Gerard Gordon, said the detention of the senior officers did not come as a surprise to the association.

Gordon referred to Guevarro’s earlier warnings that the police had no issue in identifying and pursuing officers allegedly involved in corrupt activities.

Gordon said: “Certainly, based on the intelligence and information they have, they are not at all adverse, as we see, in acting on the information they have. We do not and will not support any rogue elements amongst our ranks, and certainly, we welcome these very searching investigations and actions that could see us moving forward as an organisation in really treating with those amongst us who are not doing as they should; and certainly, as have been proven in more cases than we would want to admit.”

He added that the POA continued to “support the State, support the Government, support the Commissioner of Police as they continue to do what they must.”

Also expressing support for the current acting Prisons Commissioner, Gordon said: “We continue to look on, and we support any effort by anyone to treat with and address these serious issues that are emanating from behind the walls of the prison.”