Police and government representatives emerged last night from an exhaustive eight-hour meeting without an agreement to end a police sick-out that has severely affected police operations and the court system across the island.

“We have concluded talks for the evening and will continue tomorrow afternoon (today). We cannot say anything further on the matter at this point,” Corporal Raymond Wilson, chairman of the Police Federation, told the Observer as he and federation executive members left the security ministry last night.

The meeting was called by National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips after the police took industrial action late Monday night to press the government to make an improved offer in their wage negotiations.

The police had originally presented a 41-point wage claim, but later selected four of the points, indicating that since those were of paramount importance, resolution of those would determine the basis on which they respond to the others. Those four points demand:

1) a 20 per cent increase in housing allowance;

2) a 50 per cent increase in service pay;

3) a 75 per cent increase in salary; and

4) a new police security allowance, originally called ‘hazard pay’ or risk allowance.

The government has offered rank and file cops an across-the-board increase of 22 1/2 per cent, which is in addition to the increases in allowances.

But the police rejected the offer and gave the government until noon Monday to make an adjustment. They were further incensed by junior finance minister Fitz Jackson’s description of the federation’s negotiating tactics as “impractical, immature and an insult to people’s intelligence”.

Jackson, in an interview published in this week’s Sunday Observer, also accused the police federation of horse-trading.

Yesterday, the protest action by the police intensified, putting further strain on Supreme and Resident Magistrate’s courts operations across the island as remandees were not taken to court.

While the official membership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force is 8,000, at no time is the full compliment of cops on duty. Under force rules, at least 35 per cent of that number are required to be on vacation leave in order to alleviate any undue strain on the operations of the police force.

For a second day running a number of police divisions were affected by the sick-out.

In the St Catherine South division, which has a compliment of 180 cops, 118 reported sick yesterday, the Observer was told. Acting head of the division, Deputy Superintendent Pauline Foster-Turner, said they was barely coping.

“We do have problems, but we are trying to cope,” she told the Observer. “Our cells are secure and we have been bolstered by members of the Island Special Constabulary Force, district constables and trainees from the Jamaica Police Academy.”

In Area One, which includes the troubled parish of St James, 380 cops reported sick, a police spokesman said. Six hundred cops are assigned to Area One. However, a number of Jamaica Defence Force soldiers were deployed in troubled sections of

Montego Bay.

Deputy Superintendent Arthur Brown of the Kingston West division said at least 30 per cent of the police assigned to the division had reported sick.

“We are still severely hampered. I have been on the job since yesterday (Tuesday),” DSP Brown said.

The parade area of Downtown Kingston is usually teeming with cops, but yesterday afternoon less than a dozen uniformed police were observed in the area. An armoured vehicle was seen parked on King Street, but there was no sign of cops in uniform.

Last night, a police source who asked not to be named, told the Observer that the police had originally planned to protest for three days but have since changed their plans and will continue what they describe as ‘positive action’ into next week

if necessary.

“We did not realise that the PNP conference would kick off this weekend, so it is likely that the protest will last into next week,” he said.