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The General Secretary
Throughout this period and indeed prior to this, the POA has offered its advice and views to assist the Government to improve its performance on Criminal Justice matters. The POA is an independent trades union representing professional workers in specific areas that are at the heart of the “coal face” work of the Home Office. The knowledge of the Officials of the Union, and indeed our ability to use the professional and up-to-date knowledge of our members is a source of immediate and available improvement change. Whilst we may understand political decisions not to engage the POA, it remains foolish and will always be condemned by the Union. But, to have the voice of the Prisons Board making remarks without any thought or referral to the views of Prison Officers is embarrassing and foolish in the extreme. The release of a prisoner on escort from Wormwood Scrubs by armed criminals at Hammersmith Hospital is an incident too far. No POA members should be expected to have a firearm pointed at them in this age of technical information available at the press of a button. This from a Prison Service Board who believe that those very same Prison Officers deserve no rise in pay! It is also unacceptable that at the same time as the Prisons Board publish on the Prison Service News front cover that we are facing a massive increase in prisoners in our care for gun crime, they allow Prison Officers to be put at risk of being a victim of gun crime, that was both known and preventable – it is dangerously shambolic.
So, when the Prison Service attacks myself, the National Chairman or the Union for making comments to the press and media, we should ask the questions – “Why do you fear the truth?” “Why do you suddenly wish to include our members with your failing management structure?” “Why do you try to run the POA by self-determined proxy?” You cannot hide your inadequacies from the public forever, be honest! Work with this Union to make the Prison Service proud again or feel the Union strength! On behalf of the POA I would wish to place on record our thanks to John McDonald, MP, Secretary to the Justice Parliamentary Group, and candidate for the Leadership contest in the Labour Party, for putting down the following Early Day Motion 574 - “That this House expresses its grave concern at the escape of a dangerous prisoner from HMP Wormwood Scrubs whilst being escorted to an outside hospital; shares the concerns of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) at the failure of the procedures for categorising prisoners and at the contracting out of healthcare in prisons; and calls upon the Home Secretary to meet the POA as a matter of urgency to discuss the professional concerns of its members.” John will be contributing to the next issue of Gatelodge and has been invited to speak at Annual Conference. Brian Caton
DECEMBER 2006: The General Secretary OCTOBER 2006: The General Secretary AUGUST 2006: The General Secretary JUNE 2006: The General Secretary APRIL 2006: The General Secretary FEBRUARY 2006: The General Secretary DECEMBER 2005: The General Secretary OCTOBER 2005: The General Secretary AUGUST 2005: The General Secretary JUNE 2005: The General Secretary |
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