By Latrishka Thomas
The Police Welfare Association (PWA) is still dissatisfied with the apparent lack of effort being made by authorities to address concerns which previously caused them to threaten action.
In 2019 and again in 2020, the PWA took the hierarchy to task over a number of issues to include unsanitary working conditions at police stations across the country, a lack of uniforms, accessibility to housing and lands, and medical insurance and risk allowance for officers.
And years later, several of those concerns, like risk allowance and medical insurance, despite recent commitments by the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin, have yet to be resolved.
The executive has not stopped lodging their complaints to the authorities, yet the chairperson of the association, Corporal Marilyn Harris, says that little is being done to help.
“Well, we think they are not doing enough. The Commissioner of Police he superintends the force, so it is his responsibility to make sure our needs are met. If something was happening, would we be here today,” she exclaimed.
At the top of their list of concerns is the issue of reimbursement for medical expenses paid out of pocket.
She explained that “over the years we have been going to doctors for services and when we pay our monies, we take our receipts to our accounts department. They prepare the vouchers, send them to the treasury and all our vouchers are locked down in the treasury for years and we are not being reimbursed.”
Harris said that a simple resolution would be to offer medical insurance to cops.
Another unresolved issue is that of uniforms.
“You don’t see how we look on the streets? We are raggedy, the pants are worn because we are supposed to be getting two uniforms per year, and sometimes years we don’t get any uniforms,” the association head put forward.
Due to the lack of attention that the association is getting, they will be holding a meeting with their members today.
At the end of the meeting the members will decide what position they wish to take next.
Corporal Sylvester George, Second Vice Chairman, made it clear that the meeting is not politically motivated because “we have been advocating for everything prior to election mode”.
The PWA meeting will be held at the Police Recreation Grounds today at 8am.