Gratuitous leave for police affected by floods

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith is considering giving gratuitous leave to 266 police officers affected by last week’s devastating floods in an effort to give them the much needed time to rebuild their lives and restore some calm.

Yesterday President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Inspector Michael Seales said he welcomed the planned move by the Commissioner to give leave to officers, but said he was concerned about the slow response in getting actual help to those affected.

“There is a feeling of anxiety among 266 officers because help is not coming fast enough. I know there is a question of procedures and protocols which need to be followed, but the biggest issue of transparency and accountability must be paramount”.

He continued “the difficulty is that the officers need to rebuild their lives, and life continues. So for them, it is a lot of mental trauma and they are waiting for the much needed help”.