Chairman of the Police Welfare Association (PWA), Sergeant David Andrew Jr. recently stated that a main focus of the association is the financial freedom of its members.
During an interview, he remarked, “Definitely one of the things we want to look at in this new term is the financial freedom of our members. We realize that in these hard economic times, officers are faced with rising economic costs and this is a global phenomenon as we can see.”
In response, said Andrew, the PWA has started to partner with the private sector to provide discounted packages to members on various commodities provided by the private sector.
“We believe in this way it will help to reduce the burden and the impact on the finances of our membership,” Andrew Jr. stated.
He mentioned further that the association is in the early stage of developing its own financial institution, “to see how we can service our members in terms of loans and other financial packages.”
“We are happy [about] the fact that government has always provided in terms of salaries for our members and salary increase which was 8 percent in the last triennium and this is one of the things that have proven to assist the members. But we also believe that we can look within ourselves to provide necessary financial assistance to our members. So this will be our focus in this year for the new executive.”
Andrew asserts that the Police Welfare Association is committed to partnering with management for a more efficient police force.
He said it is critical that the association collaborate with the police administration.
“The Police Welfare Association is an entity within the organization of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force. It is critical that we collaborate with the police administration to get anything that we want done and to look at the interests of our members,” Andrew Jr. noted. “You know, from time-to-time there will have differences in opinions and differences to achieve certain goals.”
However, he noted that by working together, the association is well-positioned to manage and resolve any conflicts.
He emphasized that operating within the framework of unionism allows the group to address proposals and shared concerns more effectively through a collective approach.
Meanwhile, Deputy Police Chief Jeoffrey James said this is a perfect opportunity for the PWA to work together with the police administration.
“That augurs well for the welfare and the general police force in terms of giving the people efficient and effective service,” he explained.
James said the welfare is mandated to work with the police administration for the wellness of the men and the efficient running of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force.
“So, I encourage the welfare association, the new executive, to work in unity, oneness and commitment with the police administration,” he encouraged.
This he believes will work well for the association, “and we will be in a better place.”
“I see their move by the welfare to build better communication and collaboration with the police administration. I want to encourage them to do that. And if they fail to do that, it will be unwise of them,” he remarked.
Well done Sergeant Chairman! I hope that the private sector would respond in a good way. I hope that other Caribbean Police welfare associations follow suit.