A prison officer has suggested the use of sniffer dogs at Westgate Correctional Facility to attack a growing drug problem.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette under the condition that he not be identified, the officer expressed fear that prison officers were losing what little control they had over inmates.

And he said he believed that the administration was allowing it to happen.

The officer pointed to the problem of drugs entering Westgate as an example.

"I would suggest they bring in dogs during the visiting period,'' he said, adding that he did not know of any officers bringing in drugs.

If drugs were not found on visitors but were still coming in, he said, then the administration could focus on officers.

But the officer stressed that drugs were just one of many problems plaguing Westgate.

Prisoners heavily outnumbered officers, he said, and basically were allowed to do as they pleased.

"Some of these guys complain about having nothing to do,'' he said. "But we cannot make them take the courses offered.'' He also noted that on the average day, there were only three officers watching some 130 inmates in the recreational area.

"They (prisoners) can take us over in a flash and there's nothing we can do about it,'' he said. "But they have to have their recreational time.'' "We have nothing to protect ourselves,'' the officer stressed. "And inmates today are more violent than they were years ago. You also have some young guys who don't care. If they decided that they wanted to take over the unit, they could.'' The officer said he had not heard anything about a prison review report, prepared by Canadian management consulting group PRET Inc., since it was released in July.

"I know it is being reviewed,'' he said. "But they really need to look at our work standards at Westgate. It's not easy up here.

"I'm sick and tired of the way they're criticising prison officers. They're more concerned about what the officers do, than the inmates.'' Officers were taking "stress'' leave and called in sick regularly, he said.

And he said he expected the situation to become worse.

This, he said, was due to officers' unresolved complaints about work conditions. For example, nothing had been done about a report of an inmate throwing a weight at a prison officer.

"I have a strong feeling they know who dropped this thing on the officer,'' he said, "but they have not done anything about it. Administration are afraid of some of the inmates. They are not protecting us.'' The frustrated officer said most officers preferred to work on the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift because the prisoners were "locked down''.

Officer hits out Having worked at the old Casemates prison, he said he believed the prison was more disorganised now.

"I would really like to see the administration take more interest in the officers,'' he said. "We need more feedback from the administration.'' He also called for more officers in every unit of Westgate and more authority for officers to control inmates' movements.

Prison Officers Association president Michael Tuzo said yesterday that officers' concerns were being followed up.

He said there had been several meetings on the prison review.

And while he said it would be premature to speak about anything right now, he promised that "there will be something forthcoming very shortly from the Prison Officers Association''.

Meanwhile, Prisons Commissioner Edward Dyer could not be reached for comment.

But Social Services Minister Harry Soares said he understood the officer's frustration.

And he said he shared the officer's concerns about drugs in prison.

Anyone found with drugs, alcohol, or any other contraband, including money, will be dealt with severely, Mr. Soares said.

But he admitted that such contraband was entering Westgate.

On the use of sniffer dogs, he said: "Every suggestion should be seriously considered.'' While Mr. Soares said he was not familiar with the reported prisoner attack on an officer, he said he will not tolerate any inmate assaulting any officer.

"That is just not up for discussion,'' he said. "Everyone that comes to my attention for such behaviour, I deal with immediately.

"We can't have our officers feeling intimidated.'' In reference to the officer's complaints about idle prisoners, Mr. Soares said: "We have to remind the prisoners that they are there for punishment. It is not supposed to be a picnic.

"His concerns are all the reasons why I wanted that prison review done.'' Mr. Soares said the public can be assured the report will not sit on a shelf, collecting dust.

But he said such a major review, which addressed many issues, including staffing and security, called for changes to be implemented carefully.

Mr. Soares noted that he has been meeting with prison top brass and Management Services on a regular basis to discuss the best methods of proceeding with the report's recommendations.

"Maybe we aren't communicating to the officers how much we're putting into this,'' he conceded. "But a lot of people are putting a lot of effort into it.''