Home Affairs Minister, Wilfred Abrahams.
Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams has refuted claims of unrest at Her Majesty’s Prison at Dodds, St. Philip.
He made it clear that there have been no reported incidents at the correctional facility that should cause concern.
“I keep getting calls and questions as to if there is unrest at the prison – there is no unrest at the prison… The situation at the prison remains basically fluid, but under complete control,” he assured Barbadians during the COVID-19 update on Monday night.
Minister Abrahams said that all members of staff, as well as the inmate population were tested for the virus. He reported that there are currently 49 staff members – 33 males and 16 females; and 121 inmates – 120 males and one female who have tested positive for COVID-19.
“And the lockdown is a mitigation against the COVID-19 spread,” he stressed.
However, Abrahams reported the current situation has unfortunately led to the top five officers at HMP Dodds either in quarantine or isolation. He therefore revealed that Major Cedric Proverbs of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) has taken up operational control as Assistant Superintendent of Prisons in the interim.
“So security operations continue at the prison with a combined effort of the prison staff, members of the BDF and members of the Royal Barbados Police Force.”
He went on to explain, “We initially had the Police and the Defence Force going into supplement the shifts when the first batch of officers were sent to quarantine, so a number of those are already in place. The BDF and Police are not actually going into the prison population, they are mainly doing perimeter control – things that do not put them in contact with the prisoners. So where officers would normally be doing that work, that is now being done by the BDF or Police and I also have a Rapid Response Force on standby in case
of anything… So they are not coming into contact with the prisoners, they are handling their business from outside and leaving the prison officers and their normal shifts to do the work directly interacting with the prisoners.”
“The situation at the prison and the integrity of the security of Her Majesty’s Prison is entirely under control. Granted, it is not an ideal situation,” he admitted, further disclosing that only essential services are now being provided at the prison such that the meals to inmates are being prepared at the School Meals Department, while the meals for staff are being prepared at the BDF.
The Minister also said that there is more frequent washing of laundry, and while the medical staff has been reduced, both inmates and staff are still able to receive any necessary treatment or medication.