Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Rudyard Spencer has indicated that the Carl Rattray Staff College facility is to receive upgrades before the end of this financial year.
The Carl Rattray Staff College is the only training facility for correctional officers in the island.
The upgrades, which are slated to begin in June, is part of the government’s strategic efforts to provide world class training facilities for correctional officers and enhance the Department of Correctional Services’ (DCS) capacity to effectively deliver services to the incarcerated population.
Following his sectoral presentation to Parliament last week, Minister Spencer toured the facility on Thursday (May 17).
During the tour, he emphasized the need to refurbish and expand the facility to facilitate a greater intake of correctional officers. “The safety and wellbeing of our Correctional Officers is of utmost importance and we will start discussions immediately to ensure that the facility meets accepted standards. We will be training 300 Correctional Officers this year so I will ensure that the staff college is equipped to accommodate the trainees,” he said.
Some of the major areas the Minister highlighted as priorities for the upgrade include the perimeter fencing, constructing additional classrooms, the CCTV system, the dormitories, repairing the drill area, the roof, the kitchen, the gym and swimming pool, the library, the resource centre and the car park.
Principal of the institution, Christall Byfield welcomed the renovation as a much needed change. “We are ecstatic to hear about the upgrade that is coming to the facility. The upgrade will better allow us to carry out our job to provide the Department of Correctional Services with the best Correctional Officers in the region,” she said.
The upgrading of the training facility fits within the Ministry’s Five Pillar Crime Reduction Strategy with emphasis on Rehabilitation and Redemption.