Recruits training to join prison service
Drill instructor Randolph Scott (fourth from left) with (L-R) recruits Leroy Stewart, Shaun Mitchell, James Josephs, Steve Miller, Lowell Connor, Khadia Walker and Roxanne Walton
(CNS): A new crop of recruits for Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service are about halfway through their eight-week training course, after which they will begin observing and understudying seasoned officers on the job. The seven candidates outperformed more than 400 other applicants who underwent written and physical tests, and interviews, as part of the vetting process.
During training, the recruits have been studying critical areas including prison policy and procedures, rehabilitation strategies, control and restraint techniques, how to conduct searches, and the critical elements required to maintain good order and discipline within the prison environment.
Six of the seven candidates are Caymanians or permanent residents; the Prison Service previously has found it difficult to recruit qualified Caymanians. Prison Director Neil Lavis said he was pleased by those numbers, noting that the prison service is eager to attract and train young local recruits to assume the difficult and sometimes dangerous work that a prison officer is expected to deliver.
“I am so pleased that young Caymanians have stepped up to the challenge and have shown their drive and determination to attain these positions,” he said.
In addition to the theory and practical applications of the prison job, the recruits are also taking drill instruction, designed to teach them discipline, quick response, following instructions, working as a part of a team and taking pride in their appearance and performance.
Drill instructor and prison officer Randolph Scott said this group has several good prospects to add to the already well-established team.
Category: Civil Service
