The Police Social and Welfare Association heads to the polls on June 30th for a critical executive election.
Under the leadership of Acting Inspector Ancel Forde, Team Trust United is ready to put an end to what it says is years of failed leadership that have left officers frustrated and unheard.
00:00Acting Inspector Ford says salary negotiations are the very top of his agenda.
00:07He highlights the severe hardships officers face due to their current and inadequate salaries under the former government administration.
00:16Speaking to the morning edition, Ford notes the Prime Minister's vow to start wage talks at 10 percent.
00:22And he says he and his team, Trust United, stand ready to engage and fight for what officers deserve once elected.
00:31Because what went on in the last negotiation, where police officers got a 0-0-2, followed by a 0-0-2 for a six-year period.
00:40And when you're really divided by six years, it's 0.666 of a percent, Marlon.
00:45You're talking about the mark of the beast police got during that last negotiation.
00:49And we, Team Trust United, we are going to be prepared to actually justify why it is we'll be saying that 10 percent is not even sufficient.
01:00Ford adds, the Team Trust United is also fielding a candidate dedicated to forcefully representing the interests of special reserve officers,
01:10a group he says has been neglected for far too long.
01:14He further points to outstanding increments as another unsolved issue weighing heavily on the membership,
01:21calling it unacceptable that officers continue to serve without what is rightfully owed to them.
01:27Officers are out of their increments for years.
01:32When I say years, Marlon, years, right?
01:34And obviously, one would say there is a back pay to get.
01:39But at the end of the day, when you do get that, the value of it is less compared to if you've got it today.
01:47Ford also stressed the urgent need for basic safety equipment, including bulletproof vests,
01:53saying officers are being sent into dangerous situations and need proper protection.
01:58And we have a recent case where an officer from the Gardening Moodinchi branch was shot.
02:03That is the reality of it.
02:06So we need to ensure that equipment, such as personal protective equipment,
02:11that it is available and it is of the standard to offer the necessary protection.
02:18Meanwhile, General Secretary candidate Corporal Malcolm Wilson is calling on officers to show up in strength at the polls and vote for Team Trust.
02:26He says the association has been crippled by years of failed direction and mismanagement,
02:33and the voices of officers have been consistently ignored.
02:36According to Wilson, it is time to reclaim the association, restore credibility,
02:41and correct the failures that began at the very top.
02:45The association is not bankrupt for finances.
02:50The association is not even bankrupt for ideas.
02:53The association is bankrupt for leadership.
02:58And so what we intend as Team Trust United to bring to the association is a level of leadership
03:04that persons who are members of the association can see, can feel, can be a part of.
03:11They know that the team that they have put in place is a team that is extending a certain level of empathy and understanding.
03:21Wilson stresses that they are not seeking office for their own benefit,
03:27but rather for the service of the membership.
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