Lawmen protest salary of top cop

PORT-OF-SPAIN – A boycott of next Tuesday’s Independence Day celebrations is being threatened by members of the Police Social Welfare Association.In addition to this, police officers will no longer be working overtime as of today (yesterday), the association’s president, Sergeant Anand Ramesar, said on Tuesday.The general council of the association voted unanimously to take the two steps, in response to government’s justification of a million-dollar annual salary for the top cop while police officers are still working on 2007 salaries.“We have had enough of the empty promises and the disrespect. And we have decided to immediately stop all overtime duties. And we will be boycotting the Independence Day parade because a strong message must be sent,” Ramesar said in a telephone interview.“Our officers are being exploited. They are still receiving a 2007 salary, and then you have ministers seeking to justify an exorbitant salary for the police commissioner. We were incensed by these statements and have decided that enough is enough.“On one hand, the government is saying that ‘you cannot put a price on security of the citizenry’ in order to justify paying the commissioner a million-dollar salary. But then the officers that need to work along with the commissioner are still being exploited. What about our officers?”Ramesar promised that officers “will not be going to fail in their duties” to the public but would not be working more than the required eight hours. He said the association would reverse its decision to boycott the Independence Day celebrations if government “acts in good faith” and at least listens to the plight of the officers.Canada-born Dwayne Gibbs, the country’s next police commissioner, is expected to rake in a salary of $1.5 million annually, once Cabinet approves a package he negotiated with government officials last week.Gibbs, according to information obtained by the Express, will receive a monthly salary of TT$132 916 while his fellow Canadian, Jack Ewatski, will take home a salary of TT$106 333, subject to Cabinet’s approval. (Trinidad Express)