Police Commissioner Vern Garde has expressed disappointment over the decision by Police Welfare Association (PWA) President Cameron Laure to take internal grievances to the public. His remarks follow Laure’s claim that the Prime Minister had misled the public about the payment status of police insurance policies.
Commissioner Garde described the PWA’s public statements as misguided and said the appropriate channels for addressing such concerns were not followed.
“I found it to be, to be honest with you, very bizarre that the avenue for grievances is now straight to the media without giving my office, the Commissioner of Police, who actually is the chief welfare officer of the police force, the opportunity to deal with and manage the issue of payment or non-payment to any obligation that the welfare have,” he stated.
He stressed that internal matters of welfare should not be played out in the media. “I want to say that it is not right to play out matters of police welfare in that way at all, at all, at all,” Garde said. “The Welfare Office is not far from mine. We have the opportunity to have a conversation. Anytime the welfare has called on me, I have provided myself to the welfare. And I think that circumstance was a very unfortunate one.”
While acknowledging his personal regard for Laure, the Commissioner said he was disappointed by how the matter was handled.
“Cameron Laure is somebody that I respect a lot. He’s my personal friend,” Garde said. “But in regard to that, the way Mr. Laure is going to play out the communication between the Commissioner and the PWA, I am not happy about it.”
Commissioner Garde reaffirmed that his office remains open to dialogue and that the welfare of officers continues to be a top priority.