Fourty shank-proof vests have not been issued to prison officers, despite a promise at Her Majesty’s Prison a month and a half ago that they would have been issued by July 6 as part of a protection upgrade for prison officers.
That confirmation coming from Prison Superintendent Dr. Elliston Rahming, who addressed concerns about why that potentially life-saving gear is not in circulation.
According to Dr. Rahming, the reason the prison officers do not have the vests is because they were determined to be unsuitable by prison officers themselves.
“There are shank-proof vests of various densities and various weights, and the officers who are going to wear them were of the view that, given the fact that maximum security is not air-conditioned, it would be more functional to have a lighter vest,” Dr. Rahming explained.
“So likely, we would then turn these vests over to our tactical squad that participate in various specific security related operations, and in fact, weﾒve already put in train steps to order a lighter grade shank-proof vest for daily use by officers, because the tactical squad will only be using this as the need arises, more or less.”
Dr. Rahming said the prison administration has already sourced the required lighter grade vests.
“We know where they are, and we are about to place the order,” he said. “There are about seven different varieties of shank-proof vest ﾖ different densities, different thicknesses, different weights.”
Corporal Clive Rolle, who heads the Prison Officer Staff Association, had another explanation for why the vests were not in circulation.
“Administration wanted to train officers in certain maneuvers before issuing those shank-proof vests,” Corporal Rolle said.
He told the Journal that the officers have been trained, and that the decision not to issue the vests did not sit well with him. However, he said he could only represent the views of the staff to the prisonﾒs administration.
Prison officials recently spent about $40,000 purchasing 40 protective vests, additional handcuffs and other security-related apparatus, Dr. Rahming said.
“Weapons, be they made from within or smuggled from without, have been a constant concern for the last century,” he said.
“Indeed, some inmates would go to any length to transform a stick, spoon, nail, pen, magic marker, hanger, pan ﾖ whatever ﾖ into a weapon. Just as the police here and abroad have found it necessary to adorn themselves with bullet-proof vests, public servants who work in correctional settings, more particularly in maximum security environments, more and more find it necessary to wear protective gear.”
Dr. Rahming highlighted that the vests were acquired in order that, if accosted by an inmate, the chances of serious or fatal injuries being inflicted upon an officer would be minimised.
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
