The Department of Home Affairs has expressed disappointment over the public portrayal of a dispute involving Isle of Man Prison’s training regime.
A spokesperson has described some stinging comments by the chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA) as “inaccurate and personal.”
The disagreement arose after CNR (Control and Restraint) instructors resigned “en masse”, halting refresher training and new recruit courses.
POA national chair Mark Fairhurst had criticised the prison governor, Leroy Bonnick, stating the committee “fell out with their governor, which, if you’d ever met the man, is not a difficult thing to do.”
“All [the CNR instructors] wanted was to have the issues resolved, to be heard and to be respected,” he said.
Mr Fairhust also detailed failed attempts to secure external training support from Northern Ireland and private firms after POA intervention.
Misrepresented
In response, the department emphasised its commitment to safety and mediation.
“We are disappointed the situation has been misrepresented in such a public forum,” a spokesperson said. “Our priority is a robust training regime to protect officers, prisoners, and visitors.
“We have been working with the POA to achieve this through mediation and always intended to deliver training internally. This takes time to ensure it is done safely.”
The department did however acknowledge the immediate need for up-to-date training and confirmed it was “investigating the use of external providers” as a temporary measure.
This follows the governor’s unsuccessful efforts to secure assistance from Northern Ireland and NTRG, a private firm, after the POA raised jurisdictional concerns.
Mediation
Mr Fairhurst had praised POA unity, stating, “unity is our strength,” after mediation was agreed upon, only for the governor, the union leader said, to later approach Jersey’s prison service, which also declined involvement.
The department reiterated its focus on resolving the dispute through dialogue.
“Mediation remains our preferred route,” the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, the POA maintains that instructors simply sought to be “heard and respected.”
Statement in full
“The Department of Home Affairs is disappointed that the situation on the Isle of Man has been misrepresented in such a public forum, with inaccurate and personal comments made by the Prison Officers Association (POA).
The Department is committed to ensuring that a robust training regime is in place to keep officers, prisoners and visitors safe.
We have been working with the POA to achieve this through mediation. It is, and always has been, our intention to deliver training internally. This takes time to ensure it is provided safely with appropriate protections in place.
In the short term, we are still responsible for ensuring prison officers’ training is kept up to date. To address this gap we have been investigating the use of external providers to train our officers in the interim.“
Anyone who works at the prison who would like to express their views, in total confidence, can do so by contacting Manx.News on Facebook or by emailing newsdesk@manx.news.
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