The Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Associations (CFPWA) is aware of and continues to closely monitor the attacks on police officers across the region whilst performing their lawful duties. We have noted the attacks on police officers in St. Lucia, Jamaica, and most recently the Bahamas as well as Turks and Caicos Islands. Some of these attacks have been fatal, and others have left members seriously injured. These incidents are concerning to us as a CFPWA because gun violence is not tolerated in our communities across the region, nor are brazen attacks on police officers.
The safety and security of society in the various jurisdictions is the primary responsibility of police officers who are entrusted with the responsibility of preserving and maintaining law and order. It is our members who stand as a buffer between the law-abiding citizens and the criminals in our society.
We recognize the extremely challenging and dangerous environment in which our police officers must operate, yet our members continue to give selfless service for the betterment of the region. We condemn these preposterous acts of violence and brazen attacks on our officers. As a CFPWA, we strongly support our members who use justifiable force to protect themselves and the lives of law-abiding citizens throughout the region. We want to remind our members that self-preservation comes first.
The CFPWA would like to encourage all of our police organizations and governments to establish a legal defense fund to assist our officers if charges are brought against them during the lawful execution of their duties and deadly force is used.
Finally, the CFPWA continues to urge all our police organizations and governments to ensure that our members have proper insurance coverage and proper protective gear when being deployed, along with the necessary lethal and non-lethal options, along with body-worn cameras to capture our version of an incident or an encounter.
