fp Turks and Caicos

The Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety welcomed much needed new recruits to the prison service this week, proudly announcing all ten were Belongers.

“I wish to congratulate the 10 recruits who successfully completed the basic training course to become prison officers,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Denise Saunders. “It is very important to note that all the new officers are Belongers.”

The 10 young recruits recently completed an intense training course to become prison officers and were presented with certificates by Overseas Territories Prison Advisor Steve Fradley and Saunders.

“This is very positive, as over the years we have had difficulty in recruiting enough Belongers to the Prison service,” Saunders explained. “Consequently, we were forced to recruit prison officers from other Caribbean islands.

“These new officers will go a long way in addressing the severe staff shortage that the prison service was experiencing. I trust that their decision to become prison officers is an indication that they have chosen to build a career in corrections, and I wish them much success in the future.”

She also urged the new officers to make use of ongoing opportunities to continue improving their skills.

“With the induction training now complete and the on-the-job training about to begin, I would also like to congratulate the entire training team for their dedication and hard work to the prison service,” Saunders said. “We look forward to their continued support and the sustained effort by the new prison officers as we work together to build a safe and secure environment for everyone.”

Fradley also praised the efforts of the officers and the work of the instructors, and expressed the hope that more young people will seek to join the prison service.

New prison officers
Meeklight Atherton
Obiefuna Eze
Oliver Lightbourne
Vanessa Smith
John Green
Maxie Pierre
George Coleman
Basil King
Edric Smith
Lawanda Jennings