Michael Dunkley last night defended himself against comments by the Bermuda Police Association accusing him of “unjustifiably” criticising officers carrying out their “lawful duties” during the protests on December 2.

Sergeant Andrew Harewood released a statement on behalf of the association yesterday, staunchly defending of the actions taken by officers — and calling their use of force “justified, reasonable and necessary”.

Sergeant Harewood also claimed that the Premier, as well as Opposition leader David Burt and union leaders, gave “premature” responses to the events that unfolded with no mention of the injuries inflicted on officers on the day.

Mr Dunkley said he had gone over the comments he made during his first address and while he said he could not see any reason he was unjustified in what he said, he did say that when he made the comments he had “very few particulars” to go by.

He told The Royal Gazette: “My colleagues and I in government value the dedicated service of all the hard-working men and women in the Bermuda Police Service and we appreciate all that they do to safeguard and protect the citizens of Bermuda. As I have said previously the events of December 2 were most concerning and unfortunate and it was also unfortunate the injuries that were suffered by residents and police officers. They were all regrettable.

“As the public and the media and BPA are aware, I have called for an investigation into the full events of December 2 and I look forward to the results to bring some understanding and help us to more forward from that very difficult day. So my comments will be guarded until the events on the investigation are completed.

“I saw the two words ‘unjustifiably criticised’ and I have gone back over my comments and do not see where that is the case.”

Asked to comment on the omission of any reference to police injuries, Mr Dunkley added: “At that point I had very few particulars of the event so later that night and through the weekend when the events were unfolding I was disturbed to learn of injuries to members of the public and members of the Bermuda Police Association.

“I support the investigation and people who need to be helped accountable for their actions should be held accountable for the actions.”

Contacted by this newspaper, Mr Burt was brief in his response highlighting that an active investigation was under way.

“The Progressive Labour Party reiterates our call for a full and independent investigation into the events of December 2, 2016,” he said.

“Until such an investigation is complete and the findings of accountability are made public, this matter cannot be resolved.”

By press time last night, Mr Burt did not respond to the question of why he made no mention of police injuries.

The Royal Gazette was unable to reach Jason Hayward, president of the Bermuda Public Services Union.

However, Chris Furbert, president of the Bermuda Industrial Union, called the BPA statement “very unfortunate”.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again. I still think it’s excessive, especially the people that sprayed the protesters.

“Police were not in any danger. Look at the 30-odd men that made up the riot squad. They were outnumbered more than three to one and nothing happened to them.

“What kind of assaults are they talking about? They initiated the contact with people. When police pushed, they pushed back.”

Mr Furbert said he accepted that police were trying to move a crowd, adding: “I won’t accept any person taking a stick or whatever and hitting a police officer. There’s no way I can condone that. But this guy standing behind the wall like he’s in a wild west movie with two cans, spraying people? Now they’re coming out and saying they support these four that were spraying people? What are police coming to?”

Mr Furbert also stood by the Bermuda Trade Union Congress call for an independent commission to look into the confrontation, with officers who used Captor spray suspended pending an outcome.

Sergeant Harewood’s statement extended the BPA’s thanks to “brave officers who carried out their duties on December 2 at the House of Assembly to uphold the rule of law”, saying the association stood “firmly behind our members in this regard”.

The statement branded the criticism from the various leaders as “very unfortunate” and inflicting “a great disservice to the hard-working men and women of the Bermuda Police Service who put their health and safety on the line each day without fear or favour”.

Fourteen police officers were allegedly assaulted during the protest outside, according to the latest figures obtained by The Royal Gazette. Meanwhile, as of Wednesday, 26 members of the public had made complaints to the Police Complaints Authority about the behaviour of police during the demonstration.

Sergeant Harewood added: “The events of the day in question clearly highlight the unique dangers of the job of a police officer and the reasons why our health benefits should remain as they are.

“The BPA firmly believes that the use of force on the day in question was justified, reasonable and necessary in order to allow officers to execute their lawful duty.

“The officers faced a very difficult situation, and they performed their duties according to their training. “

The BPA has the legal responsibility to look after its members welfare and will do everything in its power to defend and represent its members against any unfair political interference or other unfair practices against any of our members.

“The BPA is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Bermudians and residents of Bermuda. Its members will continue to uphold the laws firmly and fairly. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those many members of the public who have shown their support for the police in relation to this matter.”