Crime summit set for March, Premier announces
The government will hold a long-awaited crime summit in March to tackle the rising crime rate and youth involvement in criminal activities, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has announced.
Dr Wheatley said the summit, coordinated under the National Security Council, will unite key stakeholders to develop a unified crime prevention strategy.
“Various government departments have developed their respective crime reduction strategies,” he explained. “While there have been successes, this results in a fragmented approach in the fight against crime.”
The summit will be followed by “community engagement meetings” across the territory to gather ideas and solutions,” Dr Wheatley told lawmakers recently. He added that the meetings will help shape the government’s community crime strategy.
The Premier expressed deep concern about the number of young people being drawn to criminal activities. “As the Premier and as a father, I too am very concerned about the growing risk of young people in this territory becoming associated or committing criminal acts and the adverse impact on businesses, homes, schools, communities, and other persons,” he said.
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) has already intensified its crime prevention efforts, implementing measures such as stop-and-search operations and increased patrols in high-crime areas. Wheatley disclosed that the police had reported a decrease in burglaries following these efforts. “The police increased their community policing interactions by sharing crime preventative tips to residents and owners of vehicle rental businesses on how to effectively secure their vehicles, which was well received,” he explained.
Seeking insights from international experts
Government officials have also sought insights from international experts on crime prevention strategies. The National Security Council recently met with Education Minister Sharie de Castro to discuss her meetings with the London Violence Reduction Unit and the UK’s Department for Education on addressing crime and violence among young people. Wheatley commended these efforts, saying, “The NSC welcomed and commended the Ministry of Education for their efforts in the ongoing implementation of safety and security strategies, school-based interventions, and collaboration with the police”.
The Premier also announced plans to introduce a community development policy to empower residents in crime prevention efforts. “I am intent on approving in Cabinet a community development policy which would empower communities to empower young people and other persons,” he stated. The policy will encourage collaboration between law enforcement, educational institutions, churches, and non-governmental organisations to create community-based crime prevention strategies.
Despite ongoing efforts to address crime, the BVI has seen a troubling increase in violent incidents. According to police reports, serious crimes, including assaults and robberies, have surged in recent months. The government hopes the upcoming summit will lead to a more coordinated and effective response to the crisis.
Copyright 2025 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
If you want to stop all this violence then just stop it. you have the power and the money it is a small place and can be done very easy. the only ones that wont like it are the criminals and the and those horrible adults that help them and hide them. Everyone else will be fine with it.
just do it before you cant.
Get caught with a gun 20 years in prison, robbery 10 years, rape life home invasion life, car theft 5 years
put some real prison sentences and it will stop almost immediately after a few examples are made.
But, the DPP would have to win a case first.
Why have a crime summit the government is the biggest criminals lockup the 13 of them and you will see it will not have a next murder , breakein or corruption
Headlined by Vybz Kartel?
Another?? Tourism summit was a waste of time. Will the future criminals of the BVI be invited to this crime summit? Probably not so another waste of time.
Yes, invite them criminals and then ask them to step into the next room for some free snacks. Then slap the cuffs on them!
I see this as an attempt to make it seem to the public like you doing something without actually doing anything to fight crime. Buy the police the new vehicles they say they need to patrol more with. Every district in this place have more than one lil corner in it where a certain types of characters like to congregate and hang out namely the ones with multiple gold chains on and large amounts of cash but no job or career or profession you never seen them working or providing a service in your life. I promise you the crime there if you actually looking for it. Crime increasing in bvi because it’s too easy to make crime your daily bread in bvi and get away with it nobody studying you until shots fired or somebody report a theft or break-in; then is omg we need to have crime summit to just talk about stopping the crime you driving past all the time.
It has seasoned criminals on the forced . Who trying to stop any crime.
Anyone in the BVI can make a list of the top 10 businessmen.
– Who operates car rental companies with many cars
– Who operates gas stations (cash)
– Who has heavy equipment rentals (cash)
– Who owns acres of land or acquired significant properties
– Who runs the ‘water taxis’
I don’t think you need a SUMMIT or CONFERENCE to figure out what is happening HERE!
How are the guns and drugs getting onto the islands? There needs to be Navy presence in the waters to stop and search all the boats and maybe the inter island ferries. Too many friends.
Is it because the only police presence is only to write up tickets for bad parking or no car tax? Everybody knows everyone here so not likely to be convicted if caught. The guns and drugs get in somehow.
Summit you say
Would you get your 23rd cousins, your families on grandparents sides, anunts uncles. Close belongers to come forward when crimes are committed by them, a family membet or close friends
Think again
Stop wasting Govt money
Hell will freeze over before people see something and say something
We need what3words.com for everything on this island. This would NEVER happen again.
Sorry if I don’t get excited about this Crime Summit. A good friend of mine, a professional young man, lawyer to be exact, was shot and killed in his home and actualoly survived long enough to call the Police. What did they do? They drove around Sea Cows Bay like some idiots and found his house, on a small place like Tortola, 24 hours after the call.
We don’t need a summit. We need a damn police force. And don’t get upset with me, but if my other friend Mr. Reynell Frazer or some other local was at the helm, this would not have happened. When the Police Officers and the Commissioner all don’t know the island, and I am only giving them this free excuse as there was none, nobody wins. They are too high and mighty to ask the normal Joe on the street for directions to a known business man’s house. They drive around and smile or smurk at us from vehicles paid for by tax payers and do not a damn thing all day, all week and all month. They go to work and push paper, gossip and collect an easy pay cheque. Invite me to that Summit. I need to speak with them.