Police officers on Monday demanded urgent talks over pay after being ordered to work six-day weeks to combat a spike in violent crime, warning that their growing workload is unsustainable without better financial compensation.
The Barbados Police Association said officers were already working extended hours to help restore public order and deserved to be fairly compensated for their sacrifice.
President of the association, Inspector Wendley Carter, explained that staffing shortages had forced many officers to work double shifts, and the additional requirement to give up a weekly rest day should be met with better pay.
“We see the current situation in Barbados, and the executive of the police association, we have no problems in supporting the call for our members to give an extra day,” Carter told Barbados TODAY. “As we see it, the way crime is going, it could not only affect the public of Barbados but it could affect us as individual officers — and could affect our family.”
While Carter confirmed broad support among officers for stepping up to meet the national crisis, he said the additional workload was taking a toll.
“We need to put all our efforts to get the situation under control,” he said. “But it is hard for most of the members because at this moment they are working extra for the shortage that we had in the service.”
He explained that many officers were already completing double eight-hour shifts monthly in an effort to ensure there was sufficient police presence on the roads.
Currently, the officers are being paid at the same rate of compensation for working extra shifts.
Carter said the association had asked the commissioner and the senior command team (SCT), which includes senior administrators, to consider double pay for the additional day worked, given the current crisis.
“We made a request, if it would be — since it’s a crisis situation — if you pay a rate increase,” he said. “But they say they will look at it. It hasn’t been ruled out.”
He was cautious not to raise false expectations among the ranks: “We didn’t get a ‘no’. We didn’t get a ‘yes’ either…. It could be a possibility, but we don’t want to say it’s a possibility until we hear the positive reply of ‘yes’.”
Carter noted that the commissioner had held discussions with the SCT to get feedback from the association regarding the six-day work week.
“Our feedback was: we support the SCT going forward, the initiative to wrestle the crime situation in Barbados,” he said.
While acknowledging that not all officers may be in favour, Carter said most had so far been cooperative.
“In every organisation, everybody will not be in agreement. But to me, the majority — I ain’t hearing nobody saying nothing negative about the extra days yet. But we’ve got to wait and see as things go on.”
He also expressed concern that officers themselves could be caught up in the country’s growing violence.
“It’s not a growing concern at this moment, but with things happening, you never know when we’ll be present — either off or on duty — when something happens. Because we live in Barbados too, and if crime continues, at some point in time one of our members might be present.”
With the busy Crop Over season approaching, Carter warned that the pressure on law enforcement would only intensify.
“It’s a lot. Nobody wants to be working eight-hour shifts and then go work another eight hours, and then give up your only day off,” he said. “But until we get the void full, it’s something that might happen.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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