After ‘Pele’ jailbreak, prison director calls for more warders

The escape of a high-profile inmate from Mater Dei Hospital prompted Corradino Correctional Facility’s Acting Director Abraham Zammit to request more officers on the Special Response Team (SRT): as the unit of prison warders is officially known.

“Enough is never enough,” Zammit said when confirming the request to MaltaToday. “A request for more officers has been submitted.”

Founded in 1993, the SRT is responsible for security in prison. It forms part of the Police Force but is permanently stationed at CCF. Its main role is to escort and guard prisoners outside the facility, conduct searches on persons, cells, workshop and other parts of the prison premises, as well as court duties.

They are also expected to control altercations, and ensure the overall security of the establishment.

Zammit said that most of the SRT duties are seasonal, peaking during the time when most First Holy Communions, Confirmations, weddings and comparable occasions are officiated.

Currently, there are 28 officers serving in the SRT. Apart from three police officers who have since been returned to police duties in 2008, Zammit said the number of officers serving in the team has remained static.

“Like the rest of their CCF colleagues, SRT officers work on a day on, day off roster: that is from 7am till 9pm, with a two-hour break,” Zammit said.

But if needs be, SRT officers may be required to perform overtime duty on their off days.

These hours were the focus of criticism after the escape of criminal Joseph Cini (il-Pele) last month. Some argued that long hours involved in SRT shifts mayu have been responsible for the lapse in attention resulting in this escape, and that could be dangerous for both the officers and the prisoners they would be guarding.

MaltaToday had revealed how one of the officers guarding Cini at the hospital had worked from 8am till 2pm, and was called back in from 8pm till 7am the next day. But Zammit stressed that the typical bedside guard duty at the hospital involved two officers.“The SRT officer on duty enjoyed a rest gap of six hours between duties,” he said. 

Ironically, Cini’s escape just only a day after Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) criticized the excessive working hours, which are the result of understaffing.

In its statement, the UHM said that between their working shift and overtime, prison wardens were working for more than 80 hours per week: twice the legal maximum

The union condemned this situation, saying that it was causing workers to be tired both physically and mentally, to the detriment of their own health and safety.