Police Welfare Fund

(1) All fines imposed on a member of the Department under the provisions of the Police Ordinance, 1938, or this Act or any rules or regulations made thereunder for any offence against discipline shall be paid into the Treasury to be placed to the credit of a fund to be called the “Police Welfare Fund”. Fund. (2) No payment shall be made from the Police Welfare Fund except upon the authority of the Commissioner. (3) The Commissioner may in his discretion, sanction payments from the Police Welfare Fund for any of the following purposes– (a) assistance to the wives or families of deceased members of the Department or to any members discharged from the Department as medically unfit for further service; (b) assistance to members of the Department to enable them to seek medical attention for themselves, their spouses or children, outside 30 Police Act of Belize when such attention is not available in Belize; (c) contributions towards prizes to be given at athletic meetings, assault at arms and similar events organised by or for the benefit of the (d) purchase of ammunition for the encouragement of range practice among members of the Department, including expenditure for the purchase of meals and refreshments during range practice; (e) payments to members of the Department as rewards for meritorious acts or service in the execution of duty, if such payments are not met from Government Funds; (f) expenditure for the benefit and advancement of authorised recreation and sport and other branches of police activity organised within the Department, and sporting events with law enforcement agencies outside of Belize; (g) purchase of trophies, plaques and gifts for retired police officers; (h) expenditure for Police Week related activities, including banquets and social events at the end of Police Week; (i) expenditure for repairs to police vehicles and loss of equipment owing to the negligence of (j) assistance to officers who are pursuing any police or law-related course on approved Police Act 31 study leave at the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree level; (k) expenditure for overseas training of officers that is not paid from other Government funds; (l) any other purpose not specified in this section which the Commissioner considers to be for the general welfare of the Department. (3A) A member of the Department requesting assistance under sub-section (3)(b) shall submit medical evidence of the need to obtain treatment abroad along with a recommendation from the medical officer certifying such need. (3B) Payments made under sub-section (3)(i) shall be recovered from the officer responsible by a pay sheet deduction at five (5) percent simple interest. (4) The payments from the Fund in any one year shall not exceed the sum of fifty thousand dollars without the prior approval of the Minister. (5) The money standing to the credit of the Fund may from time to time be invested in the names of such persons and in such manner as may from time to time be directed by the Minister and the money and the interest and money and dividends thereof, if any, may be applied from time to time by order of the Commissioner to the purposes to which the Fund is appropriated by this section.