By Tahna Weston
The Police Welfare Association (PWA) has clapped back at comments made by Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney in relation to a letter it sent to the Public Safety Minister calling for Rodney to step down.
When asked about the letter during an Observer Radio interview, Commissioner Rodney said that he was determined to stay – and referred to the letter as a mere distraction.
But, during a subsequent interview with Observer media, Chairman of the PWA Corporal Marilyn Harris expressed disappointment with the Commissioner’s comments.
She also sought to distance the PWA from articles published about the letter which was leaked to local media.
“First of all, the Police Welfare Association executive distances ourselves from whatever article was printed in the paper because all we would have done was to write to Minister Sir [Steadroy] Benjamin about the issues, the pressing issues that we are facing in the [police force] with the management or leadership of the organisation.
“It is very sad that Commissioner Rodney would go on the airwaves locally and we know as well that that discussion would have gone globally and discarded us, the welfare executive, based on the letter that we wrote to Minister Benjamin,” Harris said.
The PWA chairman doubled down on the contents of the letter stating that, at present, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda lacks leadership.
Harris said the letter was written in hopes of getting certain issues addressed, as past commissioners proved how the organisation should be running since they put in the work for the betterment of the nation. She said these former top cops paid attention to the needs of the force and its membership.
The police corporal is of the opinion, however, that this is no longer the case.
“The leadership of the police force is at an all-time low and we are not afraid to say that because it is our reality. So when we wrote to Minister Benjamin it was for him to address the situation with the leadership of the police force and we are going to speak to that.
“But what we realise in recent times, and moreso from 2018 to present, is that we have a Commissioner of Police who is always missing and we’re not afraid to say that because it is public knowledge. There isn’t anything that we are going to change, whether in writing or verbally; we’re not going to change it because it is the truth,” Harris said.
According to Corporal Harris, the PWA has been at the forefront of fighting for better working conditions in the force police, claiming that it appears that the police hierarchy wants to discard the executive of the PWA – something she is adamant will not happen.
The body, which is mandated to look into the welfare of police officers, represents a wide cross-section of the force, including its executive arm to include assistant superintendents of police and higher ranks.
“We [the PWA] represent every single one of us because when we negotiate it’s not only the welfare members from inspector downwards benefit; all of us benefit. And we would have been listening to that broadcast … on Dave Lester Payne’s show and we were so ashamed. We were ashamed because our Commissioner, well to us, he just don’t care.
“We are really wondering what is happening because here it is we are crying out. It is because we are crying out why we wrote that letter and for our Commissioner to discard us as if we do not matter; no, it just did not go down well,” Corporal Harris said.
She disclosed that the PWA is now in the process of calling a general meeting with its membership for certain discussions to be had.
The PWA chairman said that the organisation will not take what it deems to be public ridicule because it has not been recognised for the work that it has been doing for the police force.
“It seems as if Commissioner Rodney is saying that we are a distraction, he is not daunted by us, he is not distracted by us and he is focused. So we are happy that he said that he is focused but come to us let us know what he is focused on because the way we feel now, is that we are utter failures. We are failing the nation of Antigua and Barbuda and we are also failing ourselves,” Corporal Harris said.
