A top British prison expert has completed his review of Bermuda's Department of Corrections and handed the report to Government.Justice Minister Kim Wilson yesterday offered no comment on Phil Wheatley's review.Said a Government spokeswoman: “The Minister can confirm she is in receipt of the report. However she further advised that no further comment will be made at this time.”Meanwhile, Prison Officers' Association chairman Craig Clarke said he believed Mr Wheatley's recommendations would pave the way for much-needed change.“We are not afraid of the recommendations, our primary objective was to make sure this review actually took place,” Mr Clarke wrote in a Letter to the Editor which can be read on Page 4.He confirmed that POA executives met with former UK Prison director Mr Wheatley for close to two hours during his whirlwind visit to Bermuda last month.“We had frank and honest discussions with Mr Wheatley and we are certain that the recommendations made would in most instances be things that we have asked for.“We even presented Mr Wheatley with reports that we had written pressing for prison reform,” Mr Clarke said.“There could be some in the service who would like to maintain the status quo and not embrace the change that is coming. There might be some who have a vested interest in continuing current operations and who feel that with change their positions may not be as relevant.“The Wheatley Report will certainly be honest and frank and during our discussions he emphasised this point to the executive of the POA. However the POA has the fortitude to absorb any recommendations and are committed to the process.”Mr Clarke took issue in the letter with claims made by fellow colleagues reported in this newspaper that prison officers were taking drugs and other contraband into prison for cash.“The POA has never condoned officers being involved in nefarious activities,” he stated.“If officers have evidence of any wrongdoing they should have the testicular fortitude to report it to senior staff without fear or favour.“Silence on the part of prison officers on this issue amounts to consent.”The POA has made several recommendations over the years to “mitigate any trafficking of contraband”, he added.Those recommendations included a suggestion to move the officers' lounge and lockers outside the prison.Mr Clarke said: “This would lead to an officer only being allowed to walk into the facility with the appropriate items that would consist of their uniform and handcuffs.“We made that suggestion five years ago, and the lounge for officers is still inside the prison.”The POA also recommended random body searches of officers entering the facilities.Said Mr Clarke: “The POA is certain the Wheatley Report could have far-reaching consequences. It could be an indictment on us all.”He said of the anonymous officers who spoke with The Royal Gazette: “It is somehow incredibly insidious that as we stand on the precipice of change that some in the ranks have exercised their right to undermine the integrity of the majority.“The tactic of planting the seed of discontent throughout the ranks will not deter me or the executive branch and the membership in facilitating the change that must come to insure that the department is run in an effective and efficient manner.”To read the letter to the Editor click here