THE police last night indicated that their three-day sick-out could be called off today. Sergeant David White, the public relations spokesman for the Jamaica Police Federation, said a compromise was reached after two days of talks with the security ministry.

“Some progress has been made and we will resume talks on Monday, based on an understanding between the two parties,” Sergeant White told the Observer following more than six hours of talks with Phillips and his team.

“There is the possibility that it (the sick-out) could end tomorrow (today),” White told the Observer last night.

The rank-and-file cops – constables to inspectors – first met with the security minister on Wednesday, the second day of their sick-out.

However, the cops, determined to hang tough in their demands for better wages and fringe benefits, yesterday stayed off the job for a third consecutive day, crippling courts across the island, and severely affecting the smooth flow of traffic in major towns, among other police duties.

Senior officers who manned police stations across the island again received support from the Island Special Constabulary Force, who assisted with traffic duties along with the maintenance of public order, while members of the army, in the absence of regular police patrols, were posted at “hot spots” in the capital, Kingston, as well as in St James.

It was the running of the courts, however, that took one of the biggest blows by the police sick-out, as for a third day detainees were not taken from their respective lock-ups to answer their cases.

An assistant clerk at the Corporate Area Criminal Court told the Observer that proceedings at the court ended before noon yesterday.

“Nothing went on at court today. We closed very early. Not even members of the public came to bail anybody. They probably knew that whoever they were coming to bail would not be brought to court,” the court worker said.

At the Fraud Squad Headquarters in Kingston, only two officers turned up for duty, pushing back investigations into white-collar crimes.

The sick-out this week was the second this year by the police, who have haggled with the government for better wages for more than a year.

The government has offered a 22.5 per cent wage hike to the rank-and-file cops, but this has been rejected by the Police Federation, which bargains on behalf of 8,000 officers – the bulk of the constabulary. The Police Officers Association bargains for those above the rank of inspector.

The police have repeatedly pointed to the hazards of their job as one of the reasons to be treated specially by government negotiators, but Junior Finance Minister Fitz Jackson said it would be unfair to other public sector workers to give the police special treatment.

The demands of the Police Federation included a 20 per cent increase in housing allowance; a 50 per cent increase in service pay; a 75 per cent increase in salary and a new police security allowance, originally called ‘hazard pay’ or risk allowance.