Twenty recruits have become new correctional officers after successfully completing their recruitment and taking the oath of office. A quarter of the new officers are women.
The appointment of the officers took place at the Corradino Correctional Facility, in the presence of the Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, Byron Camilleri, and the Agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Christopher Siegersma.
The correctional officers successfully completed an intensive sixteen-week course that included, among others, academic training, physical and first aid training, security training, firefighting training and even mental health and rehabilitation. In the coming weeks, another recruitment will begin with the aim of further strengthening the human resource in the correctional systems.
Minister Byron Camilleri called on correctional officers to build on the great good that has been achieved in recent years by the Correctional Services Agency. He asked them not only to maintain an orderly prison with a genuine attempt at rehabilitation but to continue to improve it. He said, “Over the past few years, good results have been achieved that have led to the prison no longer being recognizable from what it was. Therefore, as officers, continue to work so that those who are serving prison sentences return to society as better persons”.
Minister Camilleri recalled that the government not only gave Correctional Services Agency workers the right to join a union and negotiate a collective agreement. All of this resulted in the second collective agreement signed a few weeks ago, which saw correctional officers see a salary increase of around 5,000 euros per year.
Minister Camilleri recalled that previously, a correctional officer was required to work 46 hours a week and was only given compensation for the six extra hours he worked. Now, with the second collective agreement, the compensation for each hour of overtime work is one hour, one hour and a half.
Chief Executive of the Correctional Services Agency, Christopher Siegersma, stressed that the work of officers is not just a job but a vocation. They must ensure that the sentence given by the court is carried out with dignity, respect and order. At the same time, they must be involved in the process of reform and rehabilitation. “This is a job of humanity, sensitivity and a balance between authority and respect”, said Mr. Siegersma who reminded that the Correctional Services Agency continues to offer officers opportunities to strengthen their skills with development training that is held every year.
Meanwhile, the best recruit of the course was Scott Sultana who achieved the highest marks in the subjects taught.
