Despite increases, police putting their lives on the line for cheap

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Features Editor - Sunday thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, August 29, 2010

AN entry-level police constable's basic pay is $581,701 each year. That, according to emoluments data issued by the Ministry of National Security under the Access to Information Act, is $48,475 per month.

The amount reflects a 15 per cent increase over what the cops were earning in 2007 but is short of the seven per cent they were promised for 2009. They do receive a housing allowance of $25,680 and get $13,270 for a set overtime period of 10 hours, which totals $87,425.

Upper-level constables earn almost 10 per cent more, but it's not nearly enough, says former minister of national security Dr Peter Phillips, for those who risk their lives every day, especially given the inadequacy of the human, intelligence and infrastructural resources they face.

"You can't pay a man $70,000 (for example) for him to put his life on the line," Phillips told the Sunday Observer last week.

Ironically, just before Phillips' People's National Party Government was booted out of office in September 2007, the basic salary for entry-level constables was just over $500,000 per annum or $41,666 per month.

Were it not for the Government-implemented wage freeze which took effect at the beginning of the 2009 financial year, the group representing the lowest rung of rank-and-file policemen would be earning between $622,421 and close to $750,000 annually. That translates to $51,868 and $62,500 as basic pay each month.

Across the board increases for 2009 -- ranging from the seven per cent for entry-level constables to 33 per cent for non-contract officers -- is the second tranche of a wage increase agreed to by the finance ministry, but citing difficulties brought on by the world financial crisis, the Government said it has been unable to pay.

Both groups, as well as other public sector groups such as nurses and teachers, have been at odds with the Government for the outstanding monies, but the Administration has maintained it is unable to honour the agreement.

Prime Minister Golding himself, at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House last year, begged the Jamaica Constabulary Force to be patient, saying the Government under his leadership had granted "significant increases" to the force.

"Between 2007 and now, there has been a significant increase in police salaries that has been undertaken with this administration. There are senior police officers whose salaries exceed that of some of my ministers," he said at the time.

"I'm not arguing that there is no basis for the increase, but I have never heard any union representative confirming that," Golding said.

According to the ministry data, the first tranche of increases that cops received ranged from a minimum of 15 per cent to a maximum 32 per cent in the rank-and-file class and between 35 per cent and 64 per cent for non-contract officers.

At the top of the officer class -- excluding the ranks of commissioner and deputy commissioner which are contracted posts -- assistant commissioners at the top of the scale for that category moved from $4.7 million on April 1, 2008 to $6.27 million in basic salary last year, an increase of 33 per cent, or more than $1.5 million. Over the same period, those at the bottom of the scale moved from $4.06 million to $5.27 million, an increase of 30 per cent.

Deputy commissioners earn in the region of $6.5 million while the commissioner is paid between $8 and $10 million per annum.

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Despite increases, police putting their lives on the line for cheap