Eight weeks and not a day more otherwise face the courts.
This was the warning from President of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar to Government if the promised $1 million death benefit is not paid to the families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
“Six to eight weeks is as far as we would go. Not a day further,” Ramesar said yesterday. “The families of these officers should not left without this compensation. While this would not replace the officer who would have been invaluable to their families at the same time it would bring some relief in financial difficulty that most of them would incur as a result of the loss,” Ramesar said.
Not only would the families of police officers who were killed in the line of duty would obtain this benefit but all members of the protective services, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon clarified in a statement issued on Thursday.
Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie, both speaking at the post-Cabinet press conference, on Thursday, had said the $1 million compensation was confined to families of police officers killed in the line of duty, which triggered outrage from prison and fire bodies.
The initiative was announced by the former People’s Partnership administration but details of how it should be managed was never approved.
“What we want to see from this minister is implementation not just talk. We are that point where we can go no further with the talk. The national security minister must treat with the rebranding of the Police Service, the manpower audit and the absorption of Special Reserve Police Officers (SRPs),” Ramesar said. He said at a recent meeting with all associations Dillon had also promised that based on a certain criteria, SRPs would be absorbed into the service.
The association, Ramesar said, had already submitted a criteria to acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams but has gotten no reply.
“I am a bit concerned because this really affects the lives of SRPs in a very substantial way,” Ramesar said. He said he was expected to have a meeting with Finance Minister Colm Imbert regarding the back pay issue where it was proposed some of the monies be received in the form of bonds.
President of the Fire Service Association Leo Ramkissoon said he would give Dillon the stipulated time frame to deliver on the $1 million promise.
He, however, commended the minister for taking steps to correct the mistake, adding Baptiste-Primus had personally contacted him to apologise.