Commissioner of Prisons, Hassan Zareer has earmarked maintaining peace and security as essential to ensuring the continued survival of a nation.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the 30th Basic Training Course of Corrections, the Commissioner said that a country without peace and stability is as good as burnt ash drawing examples from developments across the world.
The entire world in the 21st century is grappling with numerous security challenges, he noted.
"We are a country with few resources but security remains crucial. Coincidentally, our [marine boundary] is very open. From there to prisons, we have people who have committed various crimes coming in. Tonight you must resolve to use what you learned here, with faith, honesty, patriotism and loyalty,” Zareer said.
He also alluded to the monumental task of maintaining order and security in prisons, pointing out that there are 966 people incarcerated in prisons across the Maldives.
The Commissioner urged the 33 graduates of the basic training course, to steer clear of bribery and stop contraband from entering prisons. Zareer reiterated the responsibilities and duties of the students and said that results can only be achieved by working with honesty and sincerity.
He hailed the 700 correctional officers on duty round the clock as national heroes, adding that they will never back down in the face of any challenge.
The Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) launched the 12th batch of the Custodial Management and Security program at Maafushi Prison on 16 November last year. This mandatory programme for every prison officer is conducted by the Institute for Correctional Studies (ICOST) to provide knowledge, familiarity and training to prison officers of MCS.
The training programme is designed on eight modules, including physical training, leadership classes, ethics, law and order, as well as modules related to the duties and responsibilities of prison officers.