With three police officers dead due to Covid19 and over 100 infected with the virus, the Police Social and Welfare Association is now seeking financial payouts on behalf of the families of officers who die after contracting the virus while on the job.
President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Insp Gideon Dickson said while Covid19 did not exist when the decision was made in 2014 to compensate families of members of the protective services who die in the line of duty, it was now compelling that it should be included, as police officers have been on the frontline since the outbreak began in mid-March last year.
He said “These officers commit, dedicate and devote their lives to this country and they would have died in the line of duty, like you die in a war.”
The association is also seeking an arrangement for officers from each of the nine divisions to be able to go to a specified health centre in their division to be tested and get their results quicker.
He identified the current system where officers have to join the line like everyone else as “challenging” and hoped for a more efficient service.
Dickson has raised these matters with Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith.
The families of the three officers who died recently, each received $25,000 as part of a special insurance payout.
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