Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, says Cabinet has “fully approved the recommendations” from a Commission of Inquiry into allegations of corruption at the Ministry of Police and Prisons.
Among the recommendations, he told the media during a press conference, is the urgent need to improve the security at Tafa’igata so that prisoners don't just escape at will.
The Prime Minister also pointed out that the report was particularly scathing about the “calibre” and “integrity” of police officers, in relation to claims of inappropriate relationships at the prison.
As a result, Tuilaepa said the Commission has called for the enforcement of policies to govern the relationship among Police officers as well as that between police and prisoners. Respect, he said, should always be paramount, reminding that although prisoners are “sinners that have broken the law, we must never forget that they too, are people created in the image of God, and so God lives in them also.”
At the end of the Commission’s report, Tuilaepa said it highlighted a “weakness” within the Ministry. It involves investigations against Police officers carried out by the Police Professional Standards Unit.
Tuilaepa said the Commission found that such investigations are not being carried out properly and that is why the Office of the Ombudsman has now been tasked with the job of investigating Police officers.
“Remember there is that question - they Police us but who polices them?” he said.
“Well, that is the answer to that fault that existed before,” he said about the Ombudsman’s new role of looking into allegations against Police officers. Tuilaepa also said the Commission’s report highlights that many problems within the Ministry of Police and Prisons were caused by poor performance, especially by the management.
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“The 75-page report lucidly outlined several management and administrative problems at the Ministry and validated unfavourable conditions, unflattering incidents and incongruous behaviour at the country’s main prison,” Tuilaepa said in a statement issued by the Press Secretariat yesterday.
Headed by the Ombudsman, Maiava Iulai Toma, the inquiry titled “Tafaigata Prisons – investigating the allegations regarding the mismanagement and misadministration of Tafaigata Prisons and other related issues” looked at a number of issues at the prison.
Among the issues were alleged loans between prisoners and police officers and sexual misconduct between them.
Speaking to the media, Tuilaepa did not reveal the individual findings of the Commission. He said a press release would be issued outlining Cabinet’s decision.
However, he pointed out that the Inquiry supported the decision by the Minister of Police and Prisons, Sala Fata Pinati, to separate the Prison from the Police.
“The recommendation has resulted with the view that it is necessary for Tafa’igata Prison to be made independent from the Ministry of Police,” said Tuilaepa.
Tuilaepa said the only way “to improve (the running of) Tafa’igata (Prison) is to separate it from the Ministry.”
That way, a separate Commissioner will be responsible for the Prison. “Since the Commissioner is based here at the Ministry (of Police), he tends to give all his attention to the Ministry and not to the prison,” said the Prime Minister. A dedicated Commissioner for the Prisons would help improve the running of the facilities.
At the beginning of the Commission of Inquiry, Police Commissioner, Lilomaiava Fou Taioalo, and Assistant Police Commissioner, Sala Seaga Uili, were suspended.
Tuilaepa said the suspensions were to avoid any influence in the course of the investigation. They remain “suspended with full pay” and this is likely to continue for another two or three weeks, said Tuilaepa.
Meanwhile, Tuilaepa said: “Cabinet has accepted the recommendations about the improvement of the prison.”
This includes a recommendation for a security fence to be built so as to prevent prisoners from escaping from Tafa’igata.
Tuilaepa claimed that this fence has already been included in the budget for the current year.
However, under the Approved Estimates of Receipts and Payments of the Government of Samoa for the Financial Year ending 30 June 2014, there are no budget allocations for capital costs for the ministry’s Correctional Services.
The budget of $2,226,892 is fully taken up by personnel and operating expenses.
Tuilaepa also spoke about a lack of programmes for prisoners to obtain skills and talents so that when their term of imprisonment is served, they return to the community as new and rehabilitated people.
The Ministry of Police and Prison performs two roles; enforcing of the law and policing of the members of the public so that they abide by the law, conducting charges against those who break the law. And the second is rehabilitation of prisoners.
This, he said, involves the ministry housing facilities to keep these people properly locked up so that they don’t escape and commit offences again and to look after the prisoners so that the public is protected. These are two separate things, he said.
“There will also be programmes to rehabilitate the prisoners so that when their term of imprisonment is finished they will come out as changed people.”
This recommendation has started with a choir that is already established and made up of prisoners.
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