OBA calls on urgent action on prisons
Opposition head Craig Cannonier took Government to task in the wake of the Prison Officers Association march on Cabinet.The POA action was met with a promise by Justice Minister Kim Wilson for a prison review within months.However, Mr Cannonier said the One Bermuda Alliance shared POA concerns over issues such as breaches of the prison perimeter, adding that the problems “require urgent action now”.“That the Association and its many members felt they had to march to make this and other points to the Premier and Minister Wilson speaks volumes,” he said. “This is a matter of health and safety for the men and women who protect the people.“The Government needs to act. Deal with the POA’s concerns. They have been around for years.”Mr Cannonier said the dangers presented by materials thrown over the prison boundaries “could not be minimised”.“It is not something that should have to wait for the outcome of some report due at the end of May. The failure to act is a failure to understand and a failure to govern.“Meanwhile, asked if the POA’s petition on Government came with a threat for industrial action, POA Chairman Craig Clarke said: “No. We do these things with diplomacy.“What we do is always give Government the opportunity to meet a deadline. If they don’t, we will take action from there.”