Packed church for funeral of slain prisons officer

THE HOLY Trinity Cathedral was packed to capacity yesterday as prison, police, army officers and residents of Laventille gathered to pay their respects to slain Prisons Officer Winston Sandy. Sandy was shot five times while walking through a dirt track at Alexander Place, Laventille, last Wednesday night. During the viewing of the body at the church, Sandy’s mother Evelyn and sisters cried uncontrollably. Acting Superintendent of Prisons Orson Sandy, in a brief statement at the funeral, said officers regularly receive threats from inmates and ex-inmates and they suffer from mental stress as a result. “Prison officers are bleeding inside with anger and bitterness,” he declared. He described Sandy as a dedicated officer who was a role model for his colleagues.

“To those corrupt officers who indulge in illicit activities such as carrying into the prison dangerous drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, collect monies and other unauthorised articles from inmates, I want to make a special public appeal to you to desist from these practices.”Sandy said this practice, known as “trafficking,” encourages gang warfare within the prison that threatens the lives of genuinely dedicated and hard working officers. Prison Officer Carlyle Babb, who delivered one of the two eulogies at the service, said Sandy enlisted in the service on December 16, 1996.

“Those who worked with him in designing the Prisons Children’s Band found him fussy at times, because he accepted no short cuts, always striving to produce products of high quality and perfection.” He added that Sandy used his time to help many people and nothing bad or unpleasant could be said about him.Dean Knolly Clarke, who officiated at the service, lamented the fact that everyone seems to be victims of crime, even the church. He said the responsibility lies with parents to encourage peace at home and not allow certain things to go unchecked.

Dean Clarke also called on the schools to play their part and appealed to prison officers who might be doing so not to take advantage of prisoners to desist from doing so. He warned that if the practice is allowed to continue, then he would be officiating at many more funerals for prison officers. The funeral was attended by National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee, Energy Minister Eric Williams, Prisons Commissioner Leo Abraham, Deputy Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs, ACP Winston Cooper and other senior prisons and police officers. The body was interred at the Western Cemetery with full military honours after members of the Mt Beulah Baptist Church of Cocorite performed the final rites for the slain officer.