‘I want legacy of godliness’

And, in the next months, on July 16, he retires but will continuing his service to people as a civilian.

Newsday caught up with the Commissioner at the Santa Cruz Green Market, last Saturday, where he was being honoured by the Outfit International Socalypso Band.

“You don’t ever retire from doing good. We are soon to launch a Library at the Port-of-Spain prison, using an area that was condemned on Death Row,” Stewart said yesterday at the Green Market, Santa Cruz where he was honoured by Outfit International Socalypso band.

The Children’s Art Foundation and Wishing for Wings Foundation are sponsoring the prison library.

On his stewardship as Prisons Commissioner Stewart used Christian ideology (and without naming a specific programme) to explain that during his tenure his aim was to shed light into darkness and break curses.

He defended his brother in the protective service, Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Stephen Williams who was criticised for saying the country needed divine intervention to help solve crime.

“Imagine the Commissioner of Police talk about God and people chastise him. I don’t understand why people in Trinidad and Tobago so bad....so much to love here.

People have to change their language,” said Stewart.

He belted out a verse from the the Mighty Sniper’s song, Portrait of Trinidad. “Trinidad is my land and of it I am proud and glad. But ah cyah understand why some people does talk it bad,” he sang.

On retirement, Stewart will be succeeded by Deputy Prisons Commissioner Cecil Duke. But Duke will only be in the post for about a month as he is due to retire on August 31, Independence Day.

Stewart said the only thing he wants to leave after his retirement is “a legacy of godliness”.

On the case of the 2015 jailbreak at the Port-of-Spain prison, Stewart said the inquiry now lies with the Public Service Commission.

“Under Regulation 90, I am unable to view the findings at this stage. Although it happened under my tenure. It is now in the hands of the Public Service Commission.

I hope it (breakout) never happens again,” Stewart said.

On July 24, 2015, three prisoners, Allan “Scanny” Martin, Hassan Atwell, and Christopher “Monster” Selby shot their way out of the Port-of-Spain prison. PC Sherman Maynard was killed during the break-out, and prison officer Leon Rouse was shot and wounded.

Selby eventually surrendered to the police. Martin was killed during a shoot-out with law enforcement and Atwell was murdered while hiding in Port-of-Spain.

Acting Prison Superintendent Wilbert Lovell, Prison Officers II Lancelot Duntin and Mervyn Pierre have been suspended pending the completion of the investigation.