ComPol on Santi Ciau Jr., “It’s a rather unfortunate situation.”

Santiago Ciau Junior was laid to rest in Sittee River on Saturday afternoon. The former police officer passed away last week after battling a debilitating bone disease caused by a fall he suffered while on duty. Following his death, there has been a public outcry, with many criticizing the Social Security Board for denying his invalidity claim.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I would first like to start by expressing our sincerest condolences to the family of Santiago Ciau.  That’s a police family.  The father and all his sons joined the police and I think two of the sons are still with us, one at CIB in Belize City and the other one here at the academy.  I must say that they are a very resourceful people and quite knowledgeable in what they do, and so we are grateful to them.  It’s a rather unfortunate situation what happened to them and, again, it underscores my point earlier, in respect to social security.  I don’t know what was the basis for social security not honoring his claim, but if it is that he got injured on the job, which it is that he did, he got injured on the job, then certainly social security ought to have honored his disability claim.  Now note to police officers, or public officers on a whole, many a times we get injured on the job and because at that particular moment we don’t feel any pain, we think everything is okay and we don’t go to the doctor and when the effects start to affect you two or three months down the road and then you go to the doctor then social security wah seh well, this can’t be wahn on-the-job injury.’