AG: Seek balance

PRISON officers are being urged not to only pursue academic qualifications for promotions.

In Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite’s opinion, the men and women of the Barbados Prison Service must move away from a culture of pursuing qualifications with the objective of being promoted, to qualifications for development of the skills necessary to improve the lives of the men and women who are sentenced and remanded into their care.

Delivering the feature address at the Passing out Parade for recruits who participated in Course No. 1, at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds, last Friday, Brathwaite reminded the 21 graduates that academic qualifications, including degrees, would not teach them the qualities required to be effective in executing many of the skills required to do their job, if they do not start with caring for the development of those individuals under their charge.

He told the new officers that it is their role to look after the inmates under their charge with humanity, and help them to lead law abiding and useful lives, not only while they are in prison, but more so when they leave and re-enter society, adding value to the country’s human resource capacity.

With respect to the funds secured through the IDB, Lashley identified five main arteries that he said are to be rehabilitated at a cost of around $8 million. According to the Minister, major remedial work is to be done on two stretches of the ABC highway – from the West Road Junction to the Frank Worrell Roundabout and the Norman A. Niles Roundabout to the Clyde Walcott Roundabout.

Additionally, he revealed that work is to be done on the Charles Duncan O’Neal Highway in three phases. Lashley said Phase 1 is Cleland/Greenland to Farley Hill; Phase 2 is All Saints/Pleasant Hall Junction to Farley Hill and Phase 3 is Checker Hall No. 1 to All Saints. The Transport Minister’s comments came as he made the clear that apart from the aforementioned work, his Ministry’s assault on the potholes is continuing apace. He stated that practically every day workers from the Ministry are on the job patching potholes across the length and breadth of the island.

“We definitely have not stopped that work. It is a continuing programme we face… wear and tear is natural given the vast number of vehicles that are constantly travelling on the roads, and our goal as a ministry is to ensure that the roads are addressed when there is damage caused,” he said. (JRT)