Friday, July 18 - Transforming the prison services is critical to ensure that the organisation remains relevant, says Commissioner of Police Esala Teleni when he addressed the pass out parade of 12 prisons junior staff officers from the RFMF’s Officer Training School.

“You as leaders must be positive and confident in implementing any change that will improve how you do things,” Commodore Teleni says. “Shifting of focus from conventional roles to non conventional one challenges leadership in many areas.

“Prison officers must be alert and responsive to changes being brought in by both internal and external factors. It is also anticipate that the prison services will face considerable pressure to do more in the future.

“Pressure from within our internal environment which include retention, service condition and equipping of the force. You will also continue to face pressure such as societal change, globalisation, changing threats and changing nature of warfare.”

It was another milestone in the history of the Fiji Prisons and Correctional Service.
“It is the first time in the history of the Prisons Service that our officers have gone through a training programme at the OTS,” says Staff Training College Commandant Oliver Fisher. “This is an exciting opportunity that has come our way and we hope to fully utilise it for the benefit of the service and its officers.”

Course co-ordinator Francis Kean said the idea of using the OTS was to give the officers ‘a feel’ of what it was like to go through proper officer training and also to experience what it is like to be treated as commissioned officers. Although there had to be some readjustments, Mr Kean said the officer adapted very well and are to be commended. He was assisted by Ratu Penaia Baleinamau.

Apart from the intensive lecture sessions and assignments, the officers also went through gruelling physical military-type exercises which saw all the participants loosing excessive flab. Guest lecturers and resource people from the RFMF, Fiji Human Rights Commission, Legal Aids Commission, Attorney General’s Chamber were invited to address the officers. Participants were also taken visits to the Officers’ Mess at the Queen Elizabeth’s Barrack, Vodafone and Telecom Fiji facilities.

Commodore Teleni reminded the officers that the “primary mission” of the prison service is to assist in national peace and stability through effective rehabilitation.

“The prison service must continue to be a stabilising factor throughout to maintain a secured and stable society,” he said. “You need to develop and maintain good relationship with the communities and in particular prisoner through constructive engagement not just in the prisons.

“Together we need to deter threats emerging by contributing to national resilience and through our good citizenship. Your relationship with the communities through constructive rehabilitation programme is a good example of strategies toward building good relationship.”



Computer Literacy For Officers


The computer courses are being conducted by the Fiji Military Forces’s IT personnel. A computer lab is the latest addition to the STC equipped with ten computers with the kind assistance of the Marist Brothers High School Old Boys Association and the
Fiji Development Bank.



‘It Stretches Me To The Limit.’ Says Best All Rounder

Acting ASP Savenaca Baleiwai found himself in the driving seat only a week after he completed the six-week long Junior Staff Officer course conducted at the RFMF”s Officer Training School.
He had wished for and got the golden opportunity to put into practice what he had just learnt.

Prior to doing the course, he was the chief officer at Minimum Security Prison.

ASP Baleiwai was the Best All Round participant in the class of 12 junior officers who underwent the intensive classroom and outdoor abbreviated course.
“The course has enhanced my knowledge in leadership, management and command,” says ASP Baleiwai who is currently officer in charge of the Minimum Security Prison which has a capacity of over 160 inmates.

“It has also enabled me to gain more knowledge on how to manage my time well.”
ASP was also asked,

What do you like best about the course?
There were two things I like about the course, the presentations and the PLX exercises because they both stretch you to the limit of your mental and physical capabilities.

How do you think the Prison Service will benefit from the course?
The department will only benefit if it allows the core team that went through the course to actively put their knowledge into practice. The skills to lead, to present and to do write ups will be improved if we are given opportunity to do so.

Any suggestions on how to improve the course.
Improvement could be in the form of assessment mechanism set up to continuously assess the core team in what they are doing. The length of the course could be extended to cover all course syllables.