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.
03:29Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
