An inmate was injured during a prisoner transfer, which has prompted a review of the incident.

Timothy Seon, the chairman of the Prison Officers Association, said that the incident happened as three inmates were being transferred.

He added that the Department of Corrections needed to boost the recruitment of officers significantly to close security gaps at Westgate Correctional Facility.

A spokesman for the Department of Corrections said: “The department is aware of public interest regarding an incident that occurred during an inmate escort last Friday afternoon.

“No corrections officers were injured during the incident. However, an inmate sustained injuries and was treated by medical staff. The incident was reported to the Bermuda Police Service.

“The department is reviewing the circumstances to ensure all established policies and procedures were adhered to and will continue to co-operate with the BPS and provide updates as appropriate.”

The incident follows a serious assault on a prison officer in December last year by two high-risk inmates at Westgate, which Mr Seon said at the time was bound to happen owing to government cost-cutting.

He said then that while the officer was believed to have violated policy when allowing both men out of their cells at the same time, compliance with procedure was hindered by continuing systemic challenges, including a lack of staff and short cuts in training.

Mr Seon said the latest incident happened during a transfer related to a Westgate inmate and that staffing shortages were continuing to contribute to safety lapses at the facility.

Mr Seon told The Royal Gazette: “As I have said before, we are expected to meet the criteria of a secure regime but don’t have the staff needed to do that. We have been in crisis mode for 11 years now.

“Unfortunately, that is how these incidents occur. I am going to be looking at it closely so I can raise it during the next round of negotiations.

“I am looking to push hard on implementing measures to ensure security for inmates and officers.

“It will be raised at the corrections department committee level and also at the permanent secretary level.

“We have the funding for general recruitment and we are looking to start a new recruitment drive very shortly.

“I have confidence it can be sorted out once the numbers are up to a reasonable level but now we are working beyond our minimum staffing levels. Once we get the numbers up, we can use them to facilitate a better regime.”

Mr Seon said some staff had been recruited this year but added that there had also been a wave of retirements ahead of the implementation of a new pension plan.

The Gazette interviewed Mr Seon in December 2024 over longstanding issues within the Department of Corrections.

At that time, Westgate was said to be 100 prison officers short. There were roughly 145, while its staffing schedule calls for 244.

The department was later moved under the remit of Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

An independent review of prisons released in May found “notable inconsistency in policy and practice”, particularly at Westgate.

Staffing shortages in particular were highlighted as having a “significant negative impact on staff morale, especially at Westgate”.