Judge’s bodyguard dies

IF THE Government of the day fails to provide the safety and security for police officers, then officers may have to revert to self-preservation and self-help which will be tantamount to the law of the jungle.

So said acting Insp Christopher Holder, president of the Police Second Division Association, as he came to terms with yesterday’s passing of Special Branch officer, PC Derrick Nelson who died around 11am at the San Fernando General Hospital. The 36-year-old officer who had been assigned bodyguard to High Court Judge Herbert Volney, was shot and robbed of his service revolver, ammunition, cash and jewelry last Sunday at Milton Road, Couva. Declaring that police officers are first citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, Holder said it appears that the State has little regard for the life of police officers, who are the ones to uphold the laws of the country and who are the ones to protect the authority of the Government. He said since the shooting of PC Nelson, he could not recall any Government Minister, even Minister of National Security, Howard Chin Lee, making a public statement on the incident. “We must all be aware that the Government has absolute responsibility to ensure that the rights and freedom of the citizens are kept preserved,” Holder said.Such rights, he said, include  the right to life, liberty, security of the person, property, family as well as private life and freedom of movement. Holder said the police service has an indispensable role to assist the Government to keep its social contract to preserve such rights and freedom.

The association president was also highly critical of the medical attention PC Nelson received at the southern institution.  Holder said the association will conduct a clinical examination of the treatment the deceased officer received from the time of his admission. He said they want to determine whether every medical effort was used to save his life, whether the cost for services by the State was a hindrance in him receiving “expert medical treatment, expert medical facilities with expert practitioners with expert medical technology and equipment.”
Holder said they also want to know whether the treatment PC Nelson received at the hospital was sufficient, appropriate and consistent with the life-threatening injuries he received in the attack. “It appears that officers are considered low-class citizens for medical treatment by the State,” Holder said, explaining that if it were a Government Minister who had been shot and injured, every effort would have been made to provide expert medical attention here or even abroad. He added that police officers ought to get the best treatment when they are injured in the line of duty and that the association will do everything in its power to ensure the Government shows greater respect and concern for officers.

Holder also said that the association is looking seriously at the grossly underpaid salaries, since the risks of the job have increased significantly to the extent that the established risk index is unable to measure the level of risks associated with policing. Therefore, Holder said, they will be calling for their “rightful salary” and they aren’t prepared to wait any longer, having been waiting for the past 18 months. He said the association will soon be calling an emergency general council meeting to determine the course of action that will be taken against the Government’s failure to properly provide the necessary medical facilities for police officers whenever they are injured in the line of duty, to pay right salaries and to protect off-duty officers. On behalf of the association, Holder expressed condolences to  officer Nelson’s family on his passing.  “We will ensure that his untimely passing will not go abegging without the appropriate action against the perpetrators. We will not take that,” Holder assured. Commissioner of Police, Hilton Guy, also said that every effort will be made to apprehend the person(s) who shot and killed officer Nelson. But the top cop told Sunday Newsday that police officers will not adopt a “shoot to kill” approach in finding the perpetrators. “I will not be party to that (shoot to kill),” Guy stated categorically, stating that as the events get clearer, he will make further statements. Holder had said last Monday that officers should not hesitate to “shoot to kill” in protecting their lives and limbs and those of other citizens. Guy described the late policeman as a very good officer, one who was hard-working, brave and possibly one of the better-working constables.  “It’s a sad loss,” he said. Nelson’s sister, Pamela Nelson, was traumatised yesterday, but was of the view that doctors at the south-based hospital “tried their best”. No arrests had been made up to late evening and Sgt Burke of the Chaguanas CID is continuing investigations.