The Police Welfare Association is pressing the government once more to introduce a risk allowance for officers, warning that the dangers of frontline policing remain unacknowledged despite years of appeals.
According to Antigua News Room, Association Chairman Virlica Chatham made the appeal on Observer Media, stating that officers have been seeking the allowance since 2017 without receiving any compensation specifically tied to the hazards of the job. While officers currently receive a duty allowance for overtime, Chatham noted there is no separate payment that recognises the inherent dangers they face while on duty.
Chatham said the matter has grown more urgent in the wake of several violent incidents involving police officers. Within the past year alone, three officers were shot — one of whom lost a leg — while others sustained injuries after coming under gunfire.
She also cited the recent injury of Senior Sergeant Jeffery Benjamin, who was struck by a truck along Valley Road on 3 July, as a further illustration of the occupational risks officers routinely face.
Chatham raised additional concerns about the welfare process itself, noting that grievances raised by rank-and-file officers are typically channelled through the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General, rather than being submitted directly to the Police Service Commission.
The Association, she said, remains firmly committed to securing the allowance, maintaining that police officers deserve compensation that accurately reflects the dangers of their work.
