The man of the hour Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, Cedrick Moore (left) being greeted by Superintendent of Prisons, Lt. Col. John Nurse on his arrival.
After 45 years on the job, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP), Cedrick Moore, has hung up his hat.
Moore, who joined the Barbados Prison Service on June 14, 1974, advanced through the ranks and worked in every area of prison operations during his career, rising to the rank of Assistant Superintendent with special responsibility for the Custody Division.
Paying tribute to Moore on Friday evening during a special ceremony and parade to mark his retirement, held on the grounds of Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, Superintendent of Prisons, Lt. Col. John Nurse spoke of a dedicated professional who was committed to his job and helping those who were put into the custody of the Prison Service to the best of his ability.
“Like Moses who spent 40 years leading his people to the Promised Land, Cedrick has spent even more time, almost 46 years, sojourning in the pursuit of changing lives and restoring communities during his accomplished tenure at the Prison Service. He has touched many lives during this time and though we are sad to see him go, we are reminded that as a true professional and one who has dedicated his life to performing a social service, we can expect to see and hear more of him in the future,” Nurse said.
The prison boss, while noting that prisons cannot choose their inmates, but they can choose their staff, made it clear that the Prison Service is committed to engaging in rigorous activities in recruiting staff, to ensure that those selected have not only the appropriate personal qualities, but educational background to be employed in the complex, intense and demanding work environment that is the prison. He made the point while noting that it is on the staff’s integrity, humanity, professional capacity and personal suitability for the work, that the proper administration of prisons depends.
“Throughout, Cedrick has been one of the champions in ensuring that these requirements are met,” he added.
Nurse said that looking back on the history of the Barbados Prison Service, there are many people – usually inmates – that have been featured, but he hopes that when the further history of the Service is documented, that the work of the custodians too are highlighted, especially people like Moore.
“Everyone who worked in the Prison Service would know that you don’t go into our line of profession to make a lot of money. On the contrary, people become prison officers to make a difference to the offenders who we supervise. We attempt to inspire them to become better persons, we seek to be role models and to lift up and teach offenders that they too can contribute positively to the communities in which they live. This is what separates us from other people,” he added.
According to Nurse, such has been the nature of the retiree, who assisted in steering the course of the Prison Service over the last 19 to 20 years – during a time of “great change and great, great upheaval”.
Nurse added that after becoming ASP in 2010, Moore was tasked with overseeing and shaping the work at the Custody Division. He described Moore as being charismatic, and a fair supervisor who was “able to absorb tremendous amount of strain and pressure”.
“Such is the strength of the foundation that he has prepared in the Custody Division, and I believe that we can all face the future of the organisation with confidence that under new leadership, there will be good examples to follow – a roadmap prepared and a team ready to continue the legacy undoubtedly etched by Cedrick Moore,” he stated.
(JRT)