Communities from Mt Isa to Palm Island and out to Roma joined Brisbane in lighting landmarks in blue in recognition of National Corrections Day last Friday (15 January).
The annual celebration recognises the work of Corrections Officers on the front-line of public safety.
Minister for Corrective Services, Mark Ryan, said Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) had more than 6,000 officers across Queensland managing the most complex and challenging people in society; reducing crime and improving community safety.
“From high-security prisons to Community Corrections Offices in the far-flung islands in the north of the State, and work camps labouring to help local communities clean up after natural disasters, QCS officers work to make Queensland a better, safer place by managing and rehabilitating those who would offend against society,” Mr Ryan said.
“It was wonderful to see Queensland communities recognise Corrections officers on National Corrections Day.”
Commissioner of Queensland Corrective Services, Peter Martin said QCS played a vital role in community safety, and its officers had shown great resilience and commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic added a significant layer of risk to what is an already challenging role, and I am incredibly proud of how our officers around the State responded, innovating and going above and beyond to ensure that public safety was not compromised in any way,” Commissioner Martin said.
“While our high-security prisons might be the visible face of Corrections, we have dedicated, professional Community Corrections officers embedded in communities from one end of Queensland to the other, working with offenders to make Queensland safer for all of us.”
He said it was wonderful that many of those communities recognised the efforts of these officers by lighting up blue.
