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Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 02, 2016 (SKNIS): After an interview by a panel chaired by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Mr. Osmond Petty, it was found that Mr. Junie Hodge is the most suitable candidate to fill the post of Superintendent of Prisons. He was appointed on February 01, 2016, and introduced to the prison staff today.

According to Mr. Petty, Mr. Hodge “was found to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the Prison Act and the issues that perplex the Prison system at this time.” It was also outlined by the permanent secretary that Mr. Hodge “was able to give insight into what actions he felt were necessary to bring about improvement and/or systemic and structural changes at H.M.S. Prison.”

“Mr Hodge undoubtedly possesses training and experiences that would put him in a position to be an asset to HMS Prison as the Superintendent of Prisons,” said Mr. Petty in his introduction of Superintendent Hodge to the HMS Prison staff.

At the age of 50, Mr. Hodge has a wealth of experience in the field of law enforcement. He was a constable in the Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force from 1988 to 2004 and functioned as a Drug Abuse Resistant Education (DARE) Mentor

Coordinator from 1996 to 2004. Mr Hodge was also detailed to provide security for prison officer and inmates at HMS Prison and at times supervised detailed drafts between 1994 and 1995. He is trained in Customer Relations for Supervisors and Mediation-Conflict Resolution and Anger Management. From 2004 to 2012, Mr. Hodge was employed in supervisory and managerial positions in private enterprises. Since 2012, he has been the Owner/Director and CEO of H&H Security Services.

Mr. Petty thanked Ashiela Connor who had been acting in the post of Superintendent of Prisons since May, 2015. He commended Mr Connor for a job well done during his tenure and said that Mr Connor has agreed to assist Mr. Hodge during the period of transition.

Mr Connor congratulated Mr. Hodge on his new appointment. He urged the staff to work as a team and asked for their support of Mr Hodge.
Giving brief comments, Mr Hodge thanked the government for his appointment. In sharing his philosophy, Mr Hodge said “I believe in the principle of right and wrong. If you are right, I will go to the mountain top to support you but if you are wrong, I will call it as it is.”

Underscoring the importance of security, Mr. Hodge urged the officers to take their jobs seriously, reminding them that “if the prison system fails, the entire country fails” and “you can’t be half khaki and half blue.”

Mr Hodge called on the officers to “work together at all times,” explaining that the prison officers “are one team.”