Fake “sick” certificates

Doctors across Jamaica would have written thousands of fake sick certificates over the last few days as the police went on island-wide “sick out”.

Now a sick certificate is supposed to be a genuine document used to validate the fact that you were indeed sick and so could not carry out your contractual duties. In most organisations you are actually paid for these days.

People who are not sick and get sick certificates are not only unethical, but can be considered to be corrupt as well.  If so many cops were able to do this it shows the level of thinking that exist at the rank and file level as it relates to acts of corruption

Doctors who wrote these certificates have aided  and abetted acts of corruption themselves and should be investigated by the Medical Association of Jamaica  .

All police who are suspected of gaining and submitting these fake documents should be placed on a watch list for corruption.

Police wage settlement ideas for consideration

The biggest news in recent days is the action being taken by the police to force the government’s hands in their wage negotiations as they seek a better wage deal. The sentiment of myself and that of members of the public is, the police needs a better deal, but this action is not the correct approach.

There has been talk by many that the ” government should give cops a livable wage” but what does that really mean.

From where I sit I will posit the following approach to settle this wage impasse

1. Offer a increase of 7.0% in year one and 2.9% in year two for all cops earning $1.2m or less per annum
2. Cops over $1.2m to $1.5m offer 4.5% in year one and 3.5% in year 2
3. Cops over  $1.5m  offer 3.5% in year one and 2.5% in year two
4. Increase housing allowing for rank and file police  to at least $40,000 per month
5. Cops who work in volatile communities should be paid a “danger duty allowance” capped at $1500 per  10hr shift in addition to their regular pay. Overtime is not applicable to this figure.  Ie you you work above 10 hrs the figure does not change
6. Cops in volatile communities must be fitted with ballistic helmets and vest prior to assignment .
7. Cops in these areas must not serve more that 6 months on rotation to reduce high stress level associated in working the streets in these areas.
8. Offer scholarship to the rank of Sergeant , tenable to the UWI or Utech to at least one cops across each of the give police 19 divisions very other year.
9. For a 10% reduction in murder across each of the 19 divisions, each rank and file cop shall receive a one off payment of $100,000 at the end of each calendar year, in which the murder reduction took place. The private sector in each of these divisions will be asked to assist in funding this initiative.
10. For each murder case successfully prosecuted and which resulted in a conviction, each detective and other rank and file member involved should received “gift points” which can be redeemed at the end of each year or whenever they choose to but not before one year. These can be redeemed at participating merchants in the private sector, who will be asked to help fund this initiative. Prices however will be capped at $150k.  The system will work like this. For each successful murder prosecuted  that resulted in a conviction ( via legitimate and lawful means) each cop will receive 50 points with each point being work about $10(ten dollars).  The lead investigator however will receive 75 points.   So if a cop solves 10 murders in one year he will received 500 points, which will be worth $50,000 and can be exchanged for merchandise worth that amount. ( This is separate from the one off payments mentioned in 9)
11. Any cop who has been found to have unlawful extracted a confession and lied to get a prosecution , will have his reward forfeited, will be fined ten 10 times the prize he won and be summarily dismissed from the force. All other cops who were part of the investigation and prosecutorial process, will have their prizes forfeited  and be subjected to fines and suspension from the force for a period not exceeding one month without pay. These cops on their return will be asked to undergo polygraph testing before admittance and those who failed will not be re-enlisted

 

Cost of crime in Jamaica is about $61b dollars per year, with many business doling out millions each year to provide all kinds of security to battle rampant criminality. The private sector I am sure will be willing to come on board to fund the initiatives mentioned above as at the end the day, they can conduct more business and also reduce the amount the expend each year of providing supplemental security for their business

This is my two cents.

Jay