After weeks of intensive training, 24 recruits have completed what is known as the Passing Out Parade to begin a new career as Correctional Officers within the Correctional Services Agency.
Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment Byron Camilleri congratulated these officers while stressing the importance of their work being built on discipline and respect. In a message to these recruits, Minister Camilleri also emphasised the responsibility that this career brings. He said that correctional officers “are not only bearing responsibility for their actions, but the responsibility of an entire institution.”
It was here that he stressed that success in this career must be built on discipline and respect and explained the importance of the rehabilitative aspect of the correctional system. He maintained that order in the facility is very important, but work must be built on it so that the residents of the facility who are serving their sentence reintegrate into society and do not create new victims. He assured the recruits that the Government will continue to support them as workers throughout their career.
“We as a government will be with you. We will invest in you and help you,” said the Minister, while mentioning improvements in working conditions, better wages and more professional development opportunities that have been given to workers of the Correctional Services Agency in recent years. He also recalled the investment in resources and the facility.
While marking the beginning of a new career, the Passing Out Parade also marks the end of a long and rigorous recruitment process that included several stages. The group of 24, comprising 19 men and 5 women, were selected after demonstrating the highest level of adaptability to the responsibilities associated with this position. During the training course, the recruits were exposed to various areas to ensure that they acquire the necessary skills to exercise discipline and contribute fully to the rehabilitative process. The curriculum, based on a holistic approach, covered correctional services systems, the role of the correctional officer, aspects of psychology and physical training, among others.
Chief Executive of the Correctional Services Agency Christopher Siegersma pointed out that the closing parade of the training is not simply a ceremonial conclusion, but the beginning of professional responsibility and a commitment to a demanding, complex and profoundly human vocation.
