Starting July month-end, police officers will receive a two percent salary increase – the second of three wage hikes under their latest salary agreement with the government of Dominica for the 2024-2027 triennium.
In March this year, after a year-long salary negotiation stint, the government opted to provide an overall eight percent increase to the officers’ wages – to be expended in three stages – 3 percent for the period 2024-2025, 2 percent for 2025-2026 and 3 percent for 2026-2027.
Payment for the first period was done in June 2025 and was retroactive since negotiations had concluded after the first year.
Speaking with Dominica News Online (DNO), Chairman of the Police Welfare Association (PWA) Sergeant David Andrew Jr said, “Thus far, I can say that the government has honored its agreement to the police officers.”
He noted that under this agreement, officers across the board will receive a monthly risk allowance of $250 from July 2025.
Andrew said that the transitioning of experienced special constables into regular officers was also a point of advocacy for his association. The government agreed that for first time in Dominican history, such transitions will be done, as is already practiced throughout the Caribbean region.
“We felt it fitting because we have a number of special constables who have worked for ten, fifteen, twenty years plus and we believe that they have gained the necessary knowledge and experience and are well fitted [to come] into the regular police force,” he stated.
“…We appealed for special constables to transition to the regular police force and that was agreed [to] by government. Subsequent to that we submitted a proposal to government indicating how we feel the transition should take place in terms of training. Thus far, there has been appraisals of the special constables and a human resource audit is now being conducted to assess and evaluate at what stage the special constables are at,” he told DNO.
As to rumors of political and other forms of victimization being a hindrance to police promotions, Andrew said; “Promotion in general has always been something talked about within the rank and file of the police force. I mean, there is no perfect science to decide who should be promoted over another.”
According to him, recommendations for promotions are presented by the police administration to the police service commission, in which the PWA has two sitting members who “can advocate for officers who we feel have met the criteria and should be promoted.”
He said that such promotions are a deliberate judgement and that it is a common occurrence within organizations for some to “feel that there is some level of victimization [in which] some persons feel that they should be promoted over [others].”
He noted that the PWA has always been advocating and recommending officers that have made the criteria but have not yet been promoted.
“If we feel that someone is being over-looked, we will speak to our commission members. We will also speak to the administration. We even have written for certain officers so that they can be promoted,” he added.
Andrew became chairman of the PWA in March 2024. He and his team begun negotiations with the government almost immediately after. Negotiations for this new agreement concluded in March 2025.
but d government must comply to u all…because…advance… advance .. advance…pepper them pepper them….all u must be the clowns of the highness….u a must sing his songs….don’t sing and u will see how d highness will extract all u teeth……
Forbes Burnham Guyana strong man. we have been down this road before in the Caribbean. the police seem to be only ones getting raises the reason is pretty clear. loyalty to the king and queen and emperors.
the men and women of the CDPF are foolish to accept 8% after seeing the cabinet getting increases of almost 100% since this administration has been in office. what is $68 increase this month end? The $250 allowance would have been best as an increase. I would be able to go to the bank and obtain bigger loan.
Sgt. Andrew you are correct on the promotion issue. However, I understand as a good police officer you will deflect any political issue just as you exemplary father would (God bless him always). However, there is absolutely no doubt that politicians are calling the shots in the CDPF from recruitment to promotion, and I dare say even when officers die who should be mentioned on the death announcement or attend their funerals
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For starters, you now have a Chief Commissioner (Blackmore) and a Commissioner(Ag) contrary to our constitution and the police Act. So my friend, keep on fighting as best you can for the men you represent but please do not assume that there is no “political hand wringing” going on behind the scenes. How do you think your DCP and ACP moved up the rank and file soooo quickly in recent times? Wink, wink!!
But DNO, I thought Fontaine et al said that government workers have not gotten an “increase in years!” This chap here seems to be telling us otherwise, no?
Ah yes, the yoke of fake news and disinformation will slowly be lifted.
In any well managed organization promotion should be based on merit. In other police forces, written exams are administered, and an independent group of educators does the assessment/marking.
If the OECS governments were to standardized police exams for entry and promotion, first!y, many of the present officers would not pass the entrance exam. Secondly, most of those who got in will grow grey at the entrance level.
Instead of recruiting the best and the brightest from society, the CDFT is mainly comprised of school dropouts and remedials. No wonder they behave like hoodlums.
Sgt.David Andrew Jr what you are saying is pure bs.There has always been political victimisation in the police force,ALWAYS.Blanchard,Valarie,St.Jean(butcher)Alfred(al-P) and others were politically victimized.Today police officers like Boycott Yankee and Earskin James are being victimised,I am a poto,poto Labour and a former police officer who joined the force when Dominica was a warzone.Dread act.1979 overthrow.Operation Red Dog.1981 attempted overthrow of PHQ.CPF Grenada 1983.Special forces training 1984.People like St.Jean and Alfred were always at the front,sleeping in the bush.Those guys are the ones who have Dominica as quiet as it is today,yet they were denied their rightful place in the police force.I wonder if David Andrew knows what a poncho is,I wonder if he knows about Ghost walk and Leopard crawl.Today we have a bunch of my parl rep send me are holes.Inspectors cannot complete a felony file,women who don’t know s*** are being promoted.Maybe your promotion was political.