By PETER MIVA
THE Buimo Jail in Lae is facing a serious shortage of manpower and resources which has forced the jail staff to work tirelessly beyond their limits.
Jail commander Chief Supt Samson Jaro said yesterday the jail currently has 76 full time staff which is equal to a ratio of one staff to 20 prisoners with a population of 500 prisoners.
He said that by law the ratio should be one jail staff to five prisoners and that was not the case at the moment for Buimo.
Supt Jaro said the Correctional Services Department stopped recruitment of new staff 10 years ago and with the retrenchment of about 300 staff nationwide in 2004 including Buimo with 15 staff retrenched, there are vacancies.
He said Buimo jail needed more than 50 new recruits for the shortage but other jails throughout the country are facing the same situation.
Supt Jaro said while he lamented over the living conditions of his staff, he also comended them for their coperation and tireless work despite the problem.
He said he would now focus on the completion of a 100-room double storey dormitory for prisoners currently under construction with funding from AusAID which would greatly ease the overcrowding problem and in turn ease the work load of the staff members.
Supt Jaro said while manpower is still a pending problem, the courts are trying their best to deal with remandees and complete their trials but the process is slow and the difficulties that compounded by the influx of new remandees is still very high.
He said as a result of this situation, recruitment of more staff is higly needed to sustain the effects of the influx of prisoners into the jail.
Supt Jaro said Lae city is a crossroad for many nearby districts and provinces and many people are expected to face trouble with the laws in their search for opportunities and end up in the jail.
He said the jail staff would continue to work hard and beyond their limits to sustain the demands caused by overcrowding where usually no effort is made by the communities to prevent crime.
He said this highlights the importance of recruiting of more staff for Buimo and other jails throughout the country who are facing the similar problems.