BVI News

Governor and police must be accountable for crime

Governor Daniel Pruce and Police Commissioner Commissioner Mark Collins.

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has challenged residents to hold officials directly responsible for crime accountable given the current spate of escalating crime in the territory.

Dr Wheatley warned that residents should not allow the corrupt and immoral practice of crime to permeate the society since it will threaten the BVI’s tourism product and much more.

“We, therefore, must hold the Governor and the police to account for their responsibility in ensuring a crime-free Virgin Islands. We, who are ministers and junior ministers, must do our part,” the Premier stated.

Premier Wheatley previously shared that, as Finance Minister, he has been supportive of the work of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) in providing the necessary resources for the RVIPF to do their work.

However, he also urged lawmakers, other public officials, the business community, churches, civic organisations and families to do their part in helping to stem the tide of rising crime in the BVI.

The Premier also reiterated that a summit aimed at addressing the escalating crime issue is expected to take place by the end of March.

“By the end of the first quarter, through the hard work of my special advisor, Mr Kevin Smith, we’ll be convening a crime summit to bring all these stakeholders together to inform an anti-crime strategy that can guide our societal response to crime,” Dr Wheatley said.

Late last year, Premier Wheatley stressed that the BVI is still one of the safest places in the world and remarked that residents want to return to a time when doors were left open, and no one had to worry about whether someone would come in to do them harm.

Back then, Police Commissioner Mark Collins also called for a more holistic approach to the state of crime in the territory and urged society to play a greater role in stemming the flow of illegal firearms.

“Whilst it’s great to celebrate successes in numbers of guns being recovered and tonnes of cocaine being seized; unless we have a whole societal approach to preventing crime, then it doesn’t mean anything at all,” Collins said at the time. “Because we can keep arresting and we can keep seizing, but all the time that tide of illegal firearms and drugs is coming into the communities of the BVI.”

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26 Comments

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  1. SMH says:

    And hold the Premier accountable for not paying Civil Servants their increments. But yet, proposed budget to include millions to cater to former electorial candidates

    Like 25
    • Wtf? says:

      Neither the Governor nor the Police are
      accountable for crime. Criminals are.
      That’s rather the point.

    • Agreed says:

      While we must address the our elected government’s down falls, we should not turn a bling eye on the governor and the chief of police.
      They too need to do their jobs to secure the nation.
      It appears some of our people have eyes to see the wrong doing of our people and not others.

  2. Reality Check says:

    What a waste of our time and money. Just follow through on mandatory sentencing for firearms violations; lock them up for ten years with no parole.
    Every Premier has pressured the police to overlook crimes like cock and dog fighting.
    Crack down on all government employees and make them obey the traffic laws; stop signs, turn signals, illegal parking.
    Fix the traffic signs by giving the Police Traffic Division the say on where the signs should be located. PW has no idea and places signs where they can’t be seen nor understood when the signs aren’t anywhere close to where vehicles need to stop.
    Fire everyone in Public Prosecutions and bring in qualified prosecutors who can put people in jail in a timely manner.
    Pass the “money trail” legislation to prove that you are serious about reducing crime, starting with the legislature and senior government employees.
    Stop your senseless whining and start doing someing concrete about the lawlessness in the Territory!

    Like 22
    Dislike 1
  3. Sara says:

    We’re paying Kevin Smith $10,000 a month to get ideas from others through crime summit… what a crime summit anyway?

    Like 18
  4. Resident says:

    Agreed we should not live in the Wild West
    Bring in UK police on a 6 month rotation
    Clean up the guns,the drug trade and corruption.
    Make the judges give out meaningful sentences, not the slap on the wrist if you are connected.
    CLEAN IT UP and Bvi will flourish with tourism and investment.
    Leave it as is and we will sink further into crime and corruption ridden black hole.

    Like 22
    Dislike 1
    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t believe UK police are the best at dealing with guns as the UK police don’t have gun crimes. Now USA police have been dealing with gun violence for years. Also the USA has technology that allows them to tell exactly when a gun is shot and where and cops will show up 5 mins at most after a shooting. You hear gunshots in BVI and sometimes you don’t even see a cop patrolling said areas after. Maybe the police are scared cause they’re not armed themselves though. Maybe the police department needs to have a honest meeting and ask the police officers how they can improve their safety when doing there jobs so they’re more quick to react to crimes.

      Like 2
      Dislike 4
  5. Bystander says:

    and where is Andrew Fahie? How does the DPP and her office perform?

    Has the BVI society been overwhelmed with large scale drug trafficking, illegal firearms and associated corruption of institutions?

    Is the standard of public education poor, and so large numbers of young men leave school with no education or training to speak of?

    Like 8
    Dislike 3
  6. Styles. says:

    Natalio was best buddies and the lapdog of the biggest criminal of the territory.

    Shouldn’t he be held accountable?

    Like 26
    Dislike 1
  7. Untru says:

    Governnent rejected the Police Bill proposed by the Police Commisioner,the representative of the UK.

    Soo stop the mamaguy.

    You tied their hands which has contributed to the current and future of continued and escalating lawlessness and crime.

    Under your VIP Party the criminals their DNA and propensity was consciously and purposefully imported en masse and and installed. This cancer will continue to metasise.

    The only way for saving these VI ,is with a UK takeover where they can do what they see fitting without local govt interference.

    Like 10
    Dislike 3
  8. Anonymous says:

    Two men representing an establishment that don’t spend a woken moment about the people or the livilihood.

    Two men making humongous salaries in another man’s country when here are people who can do those jbs eve better than they.. Yet, no one sees a wrong with that.

    Like 2
    Dislike 6
  9. Citizen says:

    I agree wholeheartedly with The premier”s Statement about holding the Governor and COP accountable for Crimes in the Territory BUT \what would have made his Comment more Stately, had He said that the people of the Territory should hold everyone accountable including the Elected Members. In my humble opinion every Househole in this Territory knows who they reside with and what they are involved in or what they are capable of. The Leaders of any Territory or Country have a lot to do with Crimes in their Jurisdiction because if they would set good examples for their people to emulate, there will be less Crimes. The White Collar Crimes are the most dangerous in any Society and it leads to all other Crimes. All Crimes have consequences and too often the Leaders getaway with the many Crimes they commit thus setting No example for Citizens to follow. Good Morals, Integrity, Equity have ALL gone through the Door and We expect this Territory to be Crime Free? Wake up BVI, We are no different than Territories and Countries anywhere.

    Like 3
    Dislike 2
  10. Informed says:

    They are accountable and doing a pretty good job. Look at the about of arrests, Guns collected, Drugs found. Were talking tons of Drugs. The robberys are being solved and arrests made, Corrupt cops are gone. Drug busts on the water. Never seen so much police activity in the region.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  11. @Untrue says:

    Are you postulating thatlocal Virgin Islands people must accept legislation that is wholistically not in their interest?

    What about our human, political fture rights?

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
    • @@untrue says:

      The ” “wholistically not in their interest”….
      Whose interest? Definitely not the peoples of these VI.
      Those elected and whose interest was/is being served as a result,with favour of votes by the newcomers..resulting in their personal(those elected)crimes becoming less/un detected as a result of this overwhelming new variant with the accompanying distractions.
      Importing and installing thousands from the neighboring historically and on-going leaders in the amount of crimes and atrocities along with poverty and illiteracy to the extent of them becoming the dominant inhabitants of these tiny islands most definitely was done by those elected, notably the VIP,with purpose and intent, none of which was good for the VI ,it’s future and its people.
      Crime and criminality in these VI was brewed and baked by the locally elected Government and any and all efforts made by the UK for eradication will cobtinue to be rejected by said local Government.
      The only viable solution for a change and the possibility for a better more positive future for the VI, would be an ousting followed by a takeover by the UK.

  12. Disguised Hypocrisy? says:

    Pretty good job? By whose standards?

    Not one singlearrested in the orangegu lips community.

    Not one gun collected from the. pale foot community.

    Not one collection of any rug from a people statistics show conume the vast majority of drugs.

    Hence, it is a goodjob being done in the eyes of few bigotted and zealots.

    Let one segment. of the population go unpoliced while policing only the Black segment.

    That is the stone cold truth f policing in the BVI.

    This is nothing else but legalized disrimination against the Black populatin of. these islands, in the fake name of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy..

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  13. Let Us Pray says:

    Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me.

  14. @ DISGUISED HYPOCRISY says:

    Thats another new name for the new year , and it’s an improvement , those 2 words really describes you (WIGALO) our premier said that cold blooded execution style killers are walking in the streets amongst us , why don’t you ask him to reveal who they are to the governor and the police , but then again your name suggests that you are a hypocrite , so that’s a dead case, and our master coach will say it was an honest mistake when he said it •¿• so looks like we got FRIGGED again

  15. Please.. says:

    Accountability? Here? LMAO…. There’d be no one left to govern.

  16. Blame Game says:

    The profile of 99% plus of crimes committed in these VI reads

    “Young Black Male with ties to the upper Caribbean lslands”

    The vast majority of the excessive amount of the VI prison inmates are from updeislun and or the offsprings of one or both updeislun parents.

    So,pray tell how us thus the fault of the UK.

    A big big varied world in which we live with one specific chosen immigrant demographic now outnumbering the locals.

    How ,pray tell this is the fault of the UK.
    The UK has proposed a plan for a resolve which you have rejected with the alternative to leave things as is.
    Had you not tied the UK hands those 3or4 in hiding scum bags of the latest high day gun toting robbery and at a tourist spot would have been located, dragged out from under their mommas skirts long time and the aiding and abetting helper jailed, to be deported as done in the real world.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  17. Good Job says:

    The UK with zero effort and 100% Cooperation of we people,is doing its job simply by bearing wi itness and confirming what they and others think of Blacks. Humiliating and degrading is a must do for us while claiming victim status, a never fail operandi of choice.

    It is necessary for them to be here at this juncture with an urgency and necessity to corral the uncivilized and enforce the no no effort of habitual Black against Black and self anhialation.

    As expected. Nothing new.

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  18. ReX FeRaL says:

    At Blame game….you are chatting piss. 90v% of inmates in the prison have virgin Islands
    Roots ….Deep roots too.

  19. hmm says:

    I hate to break it to you all but the crime is built in to the system. Stop hitting yourself repeatedly.

    The drug war is a failure. Countries like Switzerland are actually legalizing cocaine to a degree probably because it would be corruption with how many of them are using it including politicians who dont want to get caught if they did not loosen the law.

    Meanwhile we start our youth on a life of crime and hiding by continually criminalizing cannabis a plant that hurts no one.

    Being a police is like being a whipper on the plantation, you hate to do it but if you dont you wont get paid.

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  20. @ReX FeRaL says:

    NOT SO. RESEARCH, GATHER AND POST THE NUMBERS/STATS.

  21. @@rex fe ral says:

    Wishing and make believe prtetend and denial won’t make it so.
    Not if you have eyes ears and the ability to read…
    Reality is. Real…More than 90% of prisoners and criminal activities violence and arrests are immigrants and or children where one or both parents originated from the Caribbean island chain…
    Rarely the offending person is a VIslander…,.
    This is also true in the USVI.
    The UK has it hands full with the same demograhic …the Windrush scandal1918…csn be attributed to a culmination of frustration based on this phenomena.

  22. Yep says:

    Those 3 or 4 Highday sepsis with machine guns at pier park have updeislun droppjngs written all over them..
    And so do the tar “babies” toting the deadly weapons in school.

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