Minister of National Security St Clair Leacock announced a significant policy change regarding police compensation, stating that “every acting police Corporal must be paid come the 4th of February”.
Leacock condemned the existing “tradition” where officers would “act” as corporals for three, four, five, or even eight years before officially receiving the pay associated with the rank.
He explicitly labeled this practice as the “exploitation of people’s labor and service”, noting that there are currently 112 corporals in the force affected by such structural issues.
He argued that the organization cannot continue to have officers work as “Billy button” (a term implying working for nothing or very little) for years on end.
Leacock established a clear rule for the future: if the administration does not intend to pay a person for a job, they should not give them the job.
He suggested a reasonable probationary period of six months, after which management must make a decision to either keep the officer in the position and pay them accordingly, or return them to their previous rank.
This move is part of his broader effort to address organizational weaknesses and ensure fair treatment for the “rank and file” of the police force