Prison officers have welcomed possible moves to scrap the Island's Co-Ed Facility.

On Monday Public Safety Minister Paula Cox revealed she was considering closing down the unit in St. George's which holds juveniles and female offenders.

The Minister, who met with prison staff Monday after they began industrial action over staffing, has promised a full-scale review of the prison system.

Although she did not give details of her specific concerns, she did say that "moving away from the Co-Ed Facility is something that I am seriously considering''.

It is believed the recent case of a woman prisoner who claims she was raped by two wardens at the facility may have brought the issue to the attention of Ms Cox.

Three officers are currently suspended pending an investigation into the rape claim.

Yesterday, Prison Officers Association chairman Lynn Hall confirmed there were "increasing concerns'' amongst wardens about the effectiveness of the unit.

The centre currently holds 18 juvenile males between the ages of 16 and 18, along with 15 women prisoners.

But wardens say they have to be constantly on guard to make sure the two sexes do not mix.

And, with staffing levels already down, that is putting an extra strain on staff.

"You have to be extra vigilant,'' Mr. Hall said. "You have to look out whenever they're amongst each other.

"Not only are you having to secure people, you are having to secure people from other people. It's definitely an extra burden and not very satisfactory.'' Mr. Hall added the manpower crisis meant certain education programmes at the centre were not being run, giving young inmates more time on their hands.

And although the two groups are segregated, there were opportunities for male inmates to mingle with women.

"From time to time they have to cross over to attend certain classes and we have to schedule these at different times,'' he said.

"I know that most officers would welcome it if it did close down. They're not very happy about things at the moment.'' Prison Association members continued their industrial action yesterday, refusing to escort inmates to court from Westgate Correctional Facility in Dockyard to courts in Hamilton.

The action will continue until at least tomorrow when association members meet to decide what their next move will be.

Once again Police officers stepped in to make up for the lack of wardens. And even Prisons Commissioner Ed Dyer and his deputy Marvin Trott had to lend a hand, escorting one prisoner to the Court of Appeal.

A Police spokesman said: "Police personnel again continue to assist the Prison Service following the industrial action...

"Seven Police officers -- five task force officers and two uniform patrol officers -- are being used as escorts and guards in the transportation of inmates from Westgate to the courts.

"The unexpected use of Police personnel for this purpose again compounds a problem of low manpower within the Police Service and depletes resources that may have been more effectively utilised in the community.''