By L.K. HEWLETT
St. Kitts Reporter
The Federation is abuzz with ICC Cricket World Cup talk, and most, including some accused police officers, have forgotten the commission of inquiry into last September’s police sick-out.
When requests by the Police Welfare Association (PWA) appeared to go unacknowledged by the government, a sickout was reportedly staged during independence celebrations when many officers reported sick for prolonged periods and at the same time. According to the doctor who issued sick-leave papers presented to superiors, the officers were complaining of back aches, diarrhea and flu like symptoms.
The inquiry was launched in December 2006 by order of Prime Minister Hon. Denzil Douglas, who is also the minister responsible for inquiries and appointed by Governor General Sir Cuthbert Sebastian.
It states in the St. Christopher and Nevis Official Gazette published by authority, that ‘We have deemed it expedient that a diligent and full inquiry should forthwith be made into the failure of an unusual number of police officers to report for duty during the six week period immediately before September 30th, 2006 resulting in a reduction of available man power to the commissioner of police for the discharge of his duties.
‘We … authorize and appoint you to make a diligent and full inquiry by providing a comprehensive analysis of the number of police officers reporting ill during that period and to diligently and fully enquire into and report on the absence from duty of police officers for the said period and make recommendations, if any, no later than February, 2007.’
Charles Blades was appointed commissioner of the inquest and charged with making recommendations with specific references to the evidence presented by police officers for their absence from work, to enquire into the nature of the actual illness of the officers and to determine how genuine the claims were.
Other points of reference to be reported on included examining the records of illness of the officers who reported sick prior to becoming an officer, the allegations that police officers sent text messages and telephoned other officers attempting to dissuade those and other officers from reporting for duty, and other ‘abuses’ by those officers of the privileges associated with sick leave.
The paychecks of the police officers in question were docked the following pay period, much to their chagrin. The Inquiry was labeled a ‘witch hunt’ meant to terminate the officers who had challenged the government’s refusal to meet the demands for more allowances and better working conditions.
A failed attempt at a meeting between Douglas and the executive of the PWA to discuss the increase in amenities and improvements ended in confusion, flared tempers and name-calling.
Surprisingly in January, Douglas announced that most of the increases in allowances were being met and implemented as of January 1. Plans to build new stations and to provide adequate and modern equipment and vehicles were outlined by both the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dwyer Astaphan.
This move appeared to many as a truce between the government and the police, however, there has been no word from either side regarding any decommissioning of the Inquiry.
The Observer spoke to a senior police official regarding the outcome of the Inquiry and the resulting recommendations.
“I haven’t heard anything more about the Inquiry and I have no knowledge of the end report being submitted to the relevant persons. If any officers feared for their jobs, I haven’t heard them talking about it. Right now everyone is talking about World Cup,” he said under the cloak of anonymity.
Speculation abounds that if the Commission of Inquiry has made its recommendations, no action will be taken until after the cricket matches which require an enormous amount of security agency personnel.
As the police officers await their fate only time can reveal if the end of cricket will mean the end of their careers as well.
