New prison staff start induction and probationary phase |29 March 2021

Chief Inspector Neamtu delivers a session on Prison Regulations

The Seychelles Prison Service has started training sixteen new Seychellois prison officers who, as of March 22, 2021, have started a six-month probationary phase with the department.

The new staff, after a careful selection process, reported for their induction on Monday last week, which started with a welcome by the Superintendent of Prisons, followed by an introduction to Prison Regulations, the Prison Act, Probation of Offenders Act, and various other briefings related to prison officer duties and expectations.

The new staff were also introduced to the service’s ‘Code of Conduct’ and were given further talks on the importance of ethical behaviour.

On day two of the probationary phase, the newly engaged staff further showed their commitment by signing the Code of Conduct, which was witnessed by the Superintendent of Prisons and other senior staff of the prison service.

Upon successful completion of their probationary phase of training, the new staff will be expected to further take an oath to the service at a ceremony before staff and their families, and other important invited guests, at a date to be announced in September 2021.

“Over the next few months these new trainee officers will be expected to complete First Aid and CPR training, unarmed self-defense, PR 24 and ASP baton training, Taser training and use of pepper spray (when and how), search techniques, handcuffing techniques.

“They will also learn about human rights and care of inmates as per the Nelson Mandela Rules, report writing and complete the online course offered by the UNODC,” said deputy Superintendent of Prison, Samir Ghislain, who oversaw the induction phase for the new trainees.

The new Seychellois staff, who have a varied employment background with key skill sets and experiences, were certainly of interest to the prison service.

“The prison service is evolving and we are keen to see Seychellois taking up the challenge to evolve with us to deliver an even better product. So having such interesting candidates with good employment backgrounds made it more interesting for us,” added deputy Ghislain.

As the new staff continue with their probationary phase, existing staff as well will be scheduled to attend refresher sessions in key areas to ensure that the work delivered by all is without exception to the uniform standard expected. With a working theme for year 2021 being ‘Aiming higher for 2021’, the prison service, reiterates its commitment to continuous improvements.

Having an engaged, well-trained and professional staff will certainly contribute to the service achieving just that.

Press release from the Seychelles Prison Service