Photos: Police Association At Cabinet Grounds
Members of the Bermuda Police Association made their way to the Cabinet Grounds today [Dec 18] to deliver a letter to the Premier, aiming to outline some of their concerns.
Chairman of the Bermuda Police Association Sgt Andrew Harewood previously said, “The Bermuda Police Association [BPA] is concerned about the present state of affairs in relation to the current impasse with Government and the negative impact it has on our members and the general public.
“The BPA entered into negotiations with Government to formulate reasonable concessions to benefit the country and not to put our members under undue financial and psychological burden.
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“The Government has reduced the Police Budget by 7% in 2014, 5% in 2015 and an additional 3% is anticipated in 2016 [approximately $10,000,000.00 in total]. The BPA has been contributing to Government’s budget reduction strategy and our members have saved Government approximately $7,000,000.00.
“The Government is now asking us to make further contributions to its budget reduction strategy in the region of 12% to 18%. Our members rejected this proposal and Government is seeking to force us into arbitration, despite our desire to continue negotiating in good faith.”
Click to enlarge photos:
Popo on the grass!
Get back to negotiations guys, the country is broke, and you have to now pay for health insurance, when in the past you paid nothing. Please get real. You did not return to the negotiation table, and our cupboard is bear! Good Luck.
And what about the $1,000 pay cut. Would you be willing to take a $1,000 pay cut outside of the GEHI?
Everyone else pas for their healthcare. No one else gets unlimited sick leave. It’s ridiculous. That’s not a pay cut.
It is $1000 cut WITHOUT paying for GEHI , get your facts straight
Where does that number come from. Another PLP myth?
thats the whole reason they are protesting! obviously it isnt made up lol
$1000,00 pay cut, that’s how much Hanbury makes a hour!!!!!!!!!!!
This little deal they. Have that allows them to get free health care goes all the way back to the days
Of the. Old guard she the force was made up of mostly white English men.
A police officer makes. Way over. $ 1000 a. -weak so you tell me why the hell are we giving them free. Health care.
Bob needs to grow some and put a. Stop to it now.
All the other government workers have to pay
Bob should raise your taxes instead so it is a real shared sacrifice. Dunkley and Bib hate the civil service because they aren’t making money off of them like in their private businesses.
The police have the power to win hearts and minds. F#@% the law, stop arresting people for minor drug possession and live and let live…you will have the full focus of the public especially the younger generation.
I agree 100%, heres a question to those who disagree with that statement, when the police are behind you or near you what do you feel? Safety, protection? No more often that not its nervousness or hatred. Positive public perception of them is a pillar in policing, it helps cracks cases with info and keeps law and order flowing more evenly while keeping “incidents” to a minimum, they have soured the perception because they have used the discretion of arrest to their advantage to display power and dominance. Not to mention the stop and search law has got to go, I highly doubt that has ever yielded a high value target and targets innocents who now have to be manhandled and belongings looked through simply because you say so.
And lastly, health care for someone who makes $70,000 starting definitely has some room to work with it, while others are forced to pay at making half the wage…Ya serz bra?!
I take it they were all off-duty?
These clowns need to get back to work and deal with the reality of being in this country at this time, we are all suffering and most of us have to actually produce at work and are held accountable! Suck it up, pay your way and quit whining
Y gurl, your ignorance is profound.
So are the taxes that pay for these lot!
hilarious that people always bring up taxes and how they pay for the Police. i wonder if they say the same about Dr.s, nurses, prosecutors, firefighters etc.. NOPE always the Police.
@ Y-girl, I hope those clowns don’t respond to your aid if you need them.
Clowns? Come on, you may not agree with their plight, but have some respect for the BPS officers. If all were to quit, who you goin’ to call when criminals runs rampant and they rob the weave off your head? Ghost Busters??
I’m having a kid’s party. How much do you charge for your clown services y-gurl? You should really change your name to Bobo The Clown on here and in real life. The comments you make are deserving of you having a clown name.
the BPD will get what they want….
Although I can’t believe I am here actually supporting the police, (oh the irony) lol, but with that said, your comment lacks compassion and insight.. For one, there is no need to refer to them as clowns, they are people who have families, needs, etc, just like the rest of us..
We need a strong Police Service,and we need a Strong Bermuda Regiment,,,,,try doing……….. without them………….total disaster….!.
Ya we do not need the Bermuda Regiment. Wake up.
Hate to repeat myself, but there is no money in the govt coffers. When there is no money, there is no money. It cannot be spirited out of fresh air and Santa Claus does not exist. The well has run dry.
Barnacle and the rest of the BPS just don’t get your point
Customs staff at the airport no longer make overtime or holiday pay on holidays….and they already co pay GEHI.
the police have had a smooth ride.
private sector sacrifice
time to sacrifice with the rest
drink more tea and health costs will fall, payments will fall
toodles!
Yeah, I wouldn’t be holding up Customs as the poster child for an efficiently run organization. At the airport their shifts are 12 hours plus with no hope of overtime and no scheduled breaks, no overtime on public holidays and poor working conditions – all while the nine to fivers in town roll in when they want, take breaks when they want, get half day for Xmas shopping, etc, etc. Customs bosses slash out money for retreats at hotels and Customs week and worry more about changing their uniform to include scarfs rather than the welfare of their officers. At least the BPS has an association that is and has looked after the welfare of all its members instead of Customs who is covered by the BPSU – a union that puts the welfare of the nine to fivers ahead of its shift workers.
my point exactly. they are not being compensated enough. that being said, they are sharing the sacrifice, unlike a lot of other areas in gov and police.
shared sacrifice people.
anyway the point was someone said that no other gov dept were taking cuts….so i responded..
toodles!
Smooth ride – seriously ! Customs Officers at the Airport are risking their lives at work most days? Dealing with Bernuda’s nonsense everyday?
No , you can’t compare.
Bermuda is broke,we cannot have a Goverment living on $1.1billion dollars per year as we do not have the income
You cant suck blood out of a stone.We as a country do not have the money and the Goverment never has money it just TAX,s its people to get the money.
As a worker in the private sector I think the whole of the government workers should take a 15 percent cut in pay ! Not sure why the police are having to be first !
I think you are an idiot.
Ask us idiots (in the private sector) who were never given the choice of furlough days or reduced salary , which we would have willingly taken , but instead lost our jobs !
You people are ridiculous. Fine let the Police pay for the health insurance and the next time someone gets shot, killed, stabbed, violent domestics, etc I hope they dont turn up. Lord forbid they get hurt on-duty and have to pay to get better or get stressed out and have to pay for their own meds because they are dealing with the PUBLICS DRAMA.
For the last time Police dont make the laws they enforce the law. So stop complaining and get the actual law makers to change the drug possession laws and whatever else you people complain about. The law is the law so until then stop being stupid and stop getting caught then you cant get arrested…….after all it shouldn’t be that hard to outsmart these “dumb cops”.
You all think their job is so easy; then why dont you sign up and make $70,000 a year? Lets see how you like to Police in a small country where you arrest someone one day and standing next to them in the club the next being threatened all because of their wrong doings.
Also dont call the POLICE when something happens. When riots break out at games, bad accidents, gun shots, stabbings, domestics, cant control your kids, gang violence, someone sells drugs to your child, someone assaults or kills your child…….DO NOT CALL THE POLICE. They will see that BERMUDA doesnt need the POLICE that makes all this money (just to be confronted by hatred) and fire them. Problem solved that easy.
Everyone always says…….oh if it happens to my family I will handle it. FACE IT BERMUDA NEEDS COPS but dont take my word for it lets test it out. Make them all take vacation for one week and see where Bermuda ends up.
I’m another one who can’t believe I’m speaking up for the police, but there are not many occupations that we collectively need to protect (and expect the best from them might I add)the police are one of them.. I think of the officer who HAS to run to the scenes of trouble and those ones that have to see people splattered on the road as part of their job… I do not see them asking for anything unreasonable…..let’s stop our noise and look out for their interest.
People here talking about Police should pay GEHI, etc. The FACT is even though Police have a lot of benefits and do not have to co-pay for GEHI ; those with children,etc do pay for each of them.
The Police are not marching to avoid any possible co-payments for GEHI; They are marching because Government are trying to strong-arm the Police and have Police solve all their money problems, by proposing to take a deduction of about $1,300 per month in their pay.(FACT) That is drastic in itself but Government has also included their proposals regarding GEHI payments per month as well, even though this proposal was already agreed by Government to be dealt with separately.
Can anyone here deal with a pay cut of this magnitude?
Would you still be able to pay your mortgage?
OR Kid’s College,etc
I DON’T THINK SO…
I propose that Mr. Dunkley and all the other ‘rich’ OBA politicians who already make a pile of money on top of having a second business they own and make even more money. You guys are making a mint then have the balls to try and take from the poor.
In Bermuda, you are either Rich/’Well Off’ OR Poor/Living ‘Paycheck to Paycheck’ or as they say, probably 2 or 3 paychecks away from being homeless.
Oh Well…
Y Gurl would think that it sounds just fine…. They clearly are ignorant.
Why don`t the Police give the public what their benefits are and what they make. Then we can all respond !
The unwanted, being underpaid, who will go unappreciated , doing the unthinkable for the ungreatful …
The police are NOT being honest! They have had the same budget cuts as the rest of the civil service except they started with a tremendous budget. No actual pay cuts! Ever notice all the new vehicles and gadgets they flaunt not to mention tons of consultants and overseas travel for training they receive constantly. They should have to pay their share of GEHI like the rest of us. A self serving bunch of brats who have had it too good for too long. And a starting salary of over $96,000 before over time is nothing to flinch about! Not to mention unlimited sick leave. Get on with the shared sacrifice like the rest of us!!
Clearly you need the Police to come get you and take you to Maui. That is not anywhere close to the starting pay of a Police Officer. All this while you have Prison Officers going home with $10,000 pay checks full of overtime.
Your statement is COMPLETELY FLAWED. The Police had pay cuts just like everyone else during the 2 year period. They haven’t received overtime for a long time, they can only get time in lieu. They sacrifice much for the people of this country and are being placed in a position where the Bermudian officers won’t be able to pay their mortgage, car payments, child care, etc. A lot of officers are being put in such a bad financial position that they are choosing to leave the island. The police force is already understaffed, what’s going to happen when Bermudians are leaving too? There are always consequences to the actions we take. If it was just health care to be taken from the salary then maybe the officers would be able to adjust financially, but it’s so much more than health care on the table.
You also need to realize that police officers are not bringing in consultants, cars, etc. The people being affected by this wage cut are the lower tiers who are struggling to survive in Bermuda’s expensive economy as it is. If you’ve invested in Bermuda, bought a house, buy your groceries, own a car, you’ve spent a lot of money here, mostly on loan. Imagine not being able to pay that back. No overtime to compensate for the wage decrease. If you want someone to suffer attack the Commissioner or his Assistants. They are the ones making these expensive decisions and ridiculous wages and benefits. Not the police on the street.
hahahahaha what are you talking about ?! $96 thousand ? You are crazy lolol
All these anti-police comments is just shameful. You can’t compare a police job to a 9-5 office or unionized job or driving a taxi all day. How many of you have had to handle a crime scene or an accident scene, witnessing someone brains blown to pieces or their mangled body in the accident car? Or a body riddled with bullets? How many of you have had to process a scene where a decomposing body was discovered, the stench of death hanging so thick in the air? After witnessing all of that, do you expect them to go home and have sweet dreams?? I can only imagine why many of them are stressed out. Before you accuse them of whining and demand that they all quit if the work is too stressful…let me see the number of hands of those who will be 1st in line to sign up to become a police officer…
Who do you call upon when your boyfriend beats you to a pulp? When your child acts up and is wielding a machete at you, at aunty, granny, uncle or holding them hostage? Yeah, you know what, these officers deal with a lot of crap because parents neglect to raise their children to be decent members of society. Parenting is not the police’s job, its OUR job to make sure our kids act right!!! All these babies having babies…you think it’s cute walking around town strolling your bundle of joy?…You better get a reality check real fast. You brought them into this world, well you better raise them and care for them with proper discipline or the prison officer will…
A doctor has the same job realities. When you sign up for the work of a doctor, surgeon, mortician, police or any career with these realities….you make that choice. It doesn’t factor into the need to revisit antequated unfair benefits when they can no longer be justified or afforded. Should a teacher complain about being exposed to colds and measles because they work with children? It’s about accepting the risks when you determine your employment choice.
For the prison officers is that 10,000 per day ???
When you do not have the income you have to decrease your exspenses.
GREECE found that and they did not like it either.
OH AND HOW ABOUT ONE POLICEMAN ON SICK LEAVE FOR SEVEN YEARS.
is he still sick of working???
OBA is a Joke
So wait, let me get this correct . . .while the rest of the civil servants pay half for health insurance and are about to get a 18% increase in that in January, the Police Service pays absolutely nothing at all.
Unbelievable . . .teachers pay a licensing fee, have to spend their money to buy classroom decorations, and materials, but they have to pay half of their insurance, but not police officers.
Not to mention that the only qualifications needed to go into the police service is a high school diploma with a starting salary of $72,000 per year!!!!
How the heck does this work?????
It has to be harder to become a police officer than a teacher. Just look at what the schools are turning out these days… Teachers don’t work rotating shifts and suffer constant sleep deprivation. Police should make more than whatever it is they make.
Evidently you are a complete idiot to put all teachers in one category!!! Maybe before you make such judgmental statements you should take the time to talk to some teachers and see what kind of time they actually put in.
If it sounds that good or want to know how ‘that works’, ‘Sick & Tired’ then why don’t you join up at the next training held??
This response doesn’t even warrant a proper response. Evidently you are as ignorant as the day is long!
No one disputes the need for the police. The issue is the perks they continue to receive that are unsustainable. Perks other civil servants don’t get like free medical care and unlimited sick leave. One should not base their lifestyle on overtime. There has been no pay increase or overtime for most civil servants except for BIU workers. So to join the same sacrifices as other civil servants is not unreasonable. At the bare minimum the medical benefits should be the same for all civil servants….after all we are covering your medical expenses without a choice.
Is it true that a huge amount of officers of the Bps reside in the Police barracks paying $350 monthly for rent including all utilities as a condition of service? If this is true they have no business marching for more Government subsides.The average Bda resident pays way more than that for monthly utilities alone. $72,000 a year amounts to $6000 a month. Unlike many of us commoners they get to keep $5650 a month of their salary. Another travesty on the planet Onion.
The more you get , the more you want .. Now do you want more … You think it’s the end but it’s just the beginning .. Robert ‘Bob’ Marley . Bob Richards on the other hand wants it all to go away quickly and without any egg on his face .. He doesn’t like egg on his face .
The arguments have taken two separate courses, one of which is completely irrelevant. It is absolutely pointless to harp on about what a wonderful and brave job the police do. Being a police officer is a completely voluntary matter, and those than join know what’s in store. The only relevant issue is MONEY. There is none. It is why cuts are being made which has included personnel. We all basically know this and support it, but get very testy when those cuts actually affect us personally. We always want everyone else to take cuts. It’s only natural. Bermuda is in some really, really serious financial trouble, of which, it might make, and it might also suffer a future that is too ugly to even contemplate. Be content with your secure jobs, a steady paycheck, and good benefits officers. There’s nothing to be had.
I heard from a little bird:
The association said stop buying vehicles and use that money towards the cut. It couldn’t happen because capital expenditure and pay role could not mix.
middle and senior officers are not being affected because they all have personal issued cars (approx 16) and do not pay for gas. Most don’t even have a personal car.
Contracts are not being renewed to pressure the association. The association doesn’t mind because its foreign officers leaving anyway.
Police budget covers not only BPS but many BPSU and BIU staff.
BPA want the shared sacrifice to go towards BPSU and BIU staff being paid with BPS budget
That’s all what I overhead!!
When I get some more I relay.