MEMBERS OF the Police Fed-eration yesterday threatened strong but as yet unspecified action, if the Government fails to pay out overdue death benefits to the estates of policemen killed in the line of duty."We are of the understanding that the Government will be paying out some of these money within the next two weeks. If not, we will be meeting with the families of the more than 50 policemen killed in the line of duty and then determine our next move," said Corporal Steve Brown, executive member of the Police Federation.
Yesterday scores of policemen and women met with the executive of the Police Federation at the Elletson Road Police Complex, Kingston, to discuss the latest salary package being offered by Government. But among the contentious items which dominated the meeting was the non-payment of death benefits.
As tempers flared, many of the policemen strongly criticised the Government for the long time it was taking to compensate the families of their colleagues whose lives were snuffed out violently while on duty.
One of the many unanswered questions raised was at which point a policeman was off duty. According to reports, this was one of the areas the authorities were looking into to determine if some of the slain policemen qualified were killed in the line of duty.
Corporal Brown told delegates that the executive body of the Federation had met with National Security Minister K.D. Knight and representatives from the Ministry of Finance last week to discuss the issues.
"The Federation has in their possession over 30 completed files of policemen killed in the line of duty and the Minister had asked us to submit a list of the names to him," said Cpl. Brown.
At that meeting, the police were told that some names were sent to the Attorney-General's Department for a ruling. Among the names were Corporal Roland Layne and Constables Eric Gooden and Christopher Dunkley.
Many of the lawmen commented that they could see no reason why the Government was tardy in paying out the death benefits in these three cases, because it was obvious that these policemen were brutally murdered by criminals.
Constable Gooden was shot and killed by gunmen in December 1998, at the intersection of Orange and Barry streets in downtown Kingston, while on patrol.
Constable Dunkley was killed in the guardroom of the Bridgeport Police Station, St. Catherine, by gunmen who invaded the station in April 1998.
Corporal Layne, who was sent on an assignment, was killed during a violent confrontation between gunmen and the police on Mountain View Avenue, April 27, 2000.
The Federation said last school term it paid out over $300,000 in school fees for some of the children of policemen killed in the line of duty.
