Barkly police have launched an investigation following a complaint by a female guard working at the Beau-Bassin women's prison against an assistant prison commissioner (ACP). She accuses her superior of abuse of authority.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The 38-year-old guard said she was called for a night shift. At around 5:50 p.m., her bag was searched by a female guard, under the supervision of the Woman Principal Prison Officer (WPPO). This exercise revealed the presence of her mobile phone in her bag.
On the orders of the WPPO, the guard was forced to store her phone in a locked locker for security reasons, rather than in her car as she had requested. The next morning, after her shift, she was informed that, on the instructions of the ACP, her phone was to be confiscated and held for investigation purposes. She attempted to retrieve her phone by contacting the ACP by phone, but the latter allegedly refused in an arrogant manner, she says. She believes that the ACP abused his authority, causing her serious harm by withholding her personal phone.
Faced with this situation, the guard filed a complaint for abuse of authority against her superior on Thursday, June 27, 2024. However, it would seem that the protocol in force was not respected in this case. Indeed, after the guard's phone was confiscated, the prison management should have immediately informed the police. However, the phone was sent to the prison intelligence service, which tried to access it without the complainant being present. It was only the next day that the management finally handed the phone over to the Barkly police.
Since Friday, several officers have been summoned by the Barkly police regarding this case. The investigation is continuing.
