Inappropriate! Governor to address ‘Police in Paradise’ video — Premier
Responding to the “Police in Paradise” video making its round on social media, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley described the video as inappropriate and said Governor John Rankin will address the matter with Police Commissioner Mark Collins.
The Premier said the Governor shared the same sentiments regarding the clip. Dr Wheatley also describes the nearly six-minute-long video clip which details the ills of policing in the BVI as unfortunate.
“By now many of you have become aware of a video circulating on social media entitled, “Police in Paradise”, produced by the United Kingdom media house ITV, profiling the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force tackling crime in the British Virgin Islands. This is a very unfortunate depiction of the BVI, highly damaging to our image as a tourist destination,” Dr Wheatley said in a statement.
“The video has unsettled many persons in our local and business community because of its highly distorted portrayal of the British Virgin Islands, which gives the impression that our islands are an unsafe tourist destination infested with drugs and crime. This is not true,” he added.
Dr Wheatley, who is also Tourism Minister, said he wanted to assure all guests the BVI is a safe destination.
“I want to assure all of our current guests who are right now enjoying the security of our territory, as well as those persons planning to come to visit our shores to enjoy our white sand beaches, calm sailing waters and friendly people, that the British Virgin Islands is one of the most secure places in the Caribbean and world to vacation and spend your holiday,” the Tourism Minister added.
“We look forward to welcoming you here to our home which is one of the most beautiful and safest places on earth. To everyone who calls the British Virgin Islands home, let us all continue to do our part to promote tourism, which is everybody’s business,” Dr Wheatley continued.
Earlier today, Commissioner Collins offered a public apology for the video that features himself, several officers of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF), and graphic footage of violence in the Virgin Islands.
Despite being seen in an interview saying: “It does constantly surprise me because you go from being an absolute paradise to being in muck and bullets”, the Police Commissioners in a written apology said the video was “incomplete” and not meant for public viewing.
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Yeah, cause the BVI is a peaceful place with very very loving and kind citizens
Compared to the likes of Jamaica, St Vincent, Guyana Trinidad and Tobago and especially Jamaica, YES we are!!
thats why everyone wants to move here for work and a better life than their own countries.
You guys are now known as the drug capital of the Caribbean! Your leader was arrested for trying to bring drugs into your country! Save the outrage.
I find the video to be hilarious! Unmasking who you all really are!
I would think that the trillions and trillions of tons of drugs already circulating throughout your nation year after year would humble your speech, but a hypocrite has no shame and obviously no common sense!
Lol I’m a BVIlander living abroad fool! Don’t make assumptions. I read the local BVI news everyday for entertainment because you all look so silly. The BVI is now known for being a corrupt state. You guys have selective memory.
Save the outrage for how you treat outsiders because you all treat them terribly.
Please let us know the crime free country you came from.
No lies were told, but to those who have their head up their @$$, this video sent them u
Fuming because they don’t want the truth to come out. Look at how many shootings were carried out on this island and many of you turned a blind eye. NO society that can profile from the slaughtering of innocent lives CAN NOT & WILL NEVER PROSPER……look back at history and you’ll see for yourself
“NO society that can profile (profit) from the slaughtering of innocent lives CAN NOT & WILL NEVER PROSPER……look back at history and you’ll see for yourself.”
Perhaps a deep, deep, deep look into the history of all of EU countries, UK, US, AUS, all of the Spaniard countries and others, and their current world and economic stature, it should be discern that there is a deep, deep, deep chasm or deficiency of world history,3 blind mice.
Premier it is not enough for the Governor to address the Police Commissioner. He must fire him! Mark Collins compromised his officers and the force, gave sensitive security footage to a media house related to an ongoing investigation, and hurt tourism which people rely on here to make a living. Then gives a halfhearted apology. Unacceptable Governor! Collins must go. Please.
Stop lying, you clown. What sensitive security footage? You mean the videos that have been circulating on social media for months??
The UK agenda continues.
So the mid March’22 raid by Customs on Dream Yachts and The Moorings was another ‘peaceful’ event by the BVI authorities? The bad publicity from that raid will cripple BVI Tourism for years to come. Seems like this short video is just a continuation of the same BVI propaganda.
The governor will make an excuse for the Coo, the same way they did when he brought in someone to the country without going through immigration. If someone is coming here for a job and we have to smuggle them in, then something is wrong. Now you have a video of live investigations, one of which the family member have not receive closure to a gruesome murder and you added it your video without consulting the family. That is a million dollar lawsuit awaiting the government. The Cop knows exactly what he was doing, no excuses should be tolerated. BUT THE AGAIN HE IS ENGLISH AND WHITE.
How about blaming the person responsible for leaking this video to the public? I bet that person was black but you always want to blame the white man. Everyone here is so racist, it’s sickening.
Certainly the show of racism as seen in these comments doesn’t help the image of the BVI.
Anywhere else in the world the Commissioner would be forced to resign RIGHT AWAY! This is is NOT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How do you know what a commissioner would be “forced” to do in other jurisdictions? A while back two officers were caught with millions worth of cocaine in their garage, and he wasn’t forced to resign then. This is a VIDEO. Ask yourself, why are you more butthurt about how the BVI is portrayed in a video than you are about what is ACTUALLY going on here? You were one of the ones who was more upset about the COI coming in to investigate corruption than you were about the ACTUAL CORRUPTION, weren’t you?
You are do right! They’re more upset about crap being exposed than about the actual crap. Poor BVI.
Please stop this outrageous conversations about the bvi is loving..when citizens from Sk, Antigua etc come to stay or for play they are known as downislanders..plus i think you guys dont love your own sometimes..
Showde himself needs to go!
I wonder if the commissioner was local if people would be in arms about this video. Virgin Islanders don’t like when their truth is shared by others. There was nothing false about the video and it seems like the goal was to show that the police contrary to belief – do actually do serious work. On the other hand, it just seems like this video was leaked to stir the pot. There are serious criminal investigations going on right now and this seems like a perfect way to cause a distraction and perhaps get certain people out of the way that might actually be able to bring down some bad locals.
DID THE VIDEO LIE ,THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE / ITS REAL , IT WASN’T PAINTED ( AND IF THESE GRUESOME KILLINGS IS NOT EXPOSED , IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE /PEOPLE EVEN GET KILLED AND ROBBED IN THEIR ONW HOME , WHERE WERE THOSE WHO SAT IN THE STREET HOW ABOUT A CARTOON OF THAT • JUST LIKE THE ONE WITH A MAN WITH HIS KNEE ON A NEXT MAN NECK
Where can I see the video?????
Colonialism in full bloom. This is worse than anything the COI uncovered. Evil monsters.
Why so upset? Nothing in the video was untrue. If it’s about the pristine “image” of the bvi I think people are delusional.
The video more depicts Jamaica than the BVI. Other than the Deputy Commissioner there was not one BVIslander interviewed nor any BVI music played. The drug boat video is NOT in the BVI but sensationalist bullshit pulled from the internet and the shooting at Fish Bay which the Police knows full well is related to the underworld movements, which some of his officers are apart of, would’ve had to be provided by the Police. The Commissioner himself said death in paradise and also said one day you’re on the beach and the other you’re in a hail of bullets, something of that nature. BVI like any developing nation has its share of issues and we know due to its geographic location it’s use to ship drugs etc. but to label us as a cowboy town is wrong. We are still very safe here where people leave their cars unlocked and running to deal with errands etc.
How about doing a special video on who are the ones using the cocaine that remains in the BVI? I can tell you it’s not the locals using it!!!
“The video more depicts Jamaica than the BVI”
But of course, The BVI has fast become more Jamaican along with becoming more DominicanRepublic,more Vincentian etc than BVI..
These folks are the ones whose faces interact with the tourists and other travelers to the VI,.these are the folks that determines the World’s perception of the VI. Drug and human trafficking,prostitution,illiteracy,poverty,murderis now a BVI jnstallation.
The police force in the VI is made up of an amalgamation of the worst crime ridden Caribbean islands.
So….
Why did the VI do this to itself?
Make no mistake..,Immigration as practiced by the
self elected VI Government and one of its political party has totally destroyed the VI socially and economically. It will get worse,trust me.
We’re pretty convinced that we witnessed that drug boat being pursued by the helicopter in West End. It was NOT “sensational bullshit” pulled from the internet.
whether or not the video is showing fact or fiction is not the point! The fact that you used a video given to you in evidence disrespecting the family of the victim is distasteful! The Commissioner mentioned that this was not the final cut and it was shared with only a few persons within the RVIPF begs to question the same ole, there is nothing that is confidential in this place. He should hold himself and those he shared it accountable to the highest degree!. One more thing, why wasn’t all the crimes committed by the very same police ( same drug smuggling) same internal strife’s used as well. But it was a recruitment video right smh
That video has done the rounds on social media. Why so upset now? Why not be upset about the crime itself?
It would appear for most it is the messenger or at least the colour of his skin that is the problem. Sounds a little racist ….
“The video more depicts Jamaica than the BVI”
But of course, The BVI has fast become more Jamaican along with becoming more DominicanRepublic,more Vincentian etc than BVI..
These folks are the ones whose faces interact with the tourists and other travelers to the VI,.these are the folks that determines the World’s perception of the VI. Drug and human trafficking,prostitution,illiteracy,poverty,murderis now a BVI jnstallation.
The police force in the VI is made up of an amalgamation of the worst crime ridden Caribbean islands.
So….
Why did the VI do this to itself?
Make no mistake..,Immigration as practiced by the
self elected VI Government and one of its political party has totally destroyed the VI socially and economically. It will get worse,trust me.
The video did not go far enough, Tortola is a complete garbage dump, a cesspit of violence corruption and anarchy. Too late now to do anything about it, the issues that bought us to this point should have been addressed decades ago, but our leaders were to busy lining their pockets and singing in church.
It would appear that;
BVIslanders are more affronted by the video than the crime itself.
BVIslanders are more more concerned with the messenger than the message (no such concerns about the Mika Barry video).
BVIslanders will use this as a further excuse why they will not co-operate with the police and help solve the numerous unsolved murders.
Says a lot when protecting the image is more important that solving the issues
Nothing more to add. Agree with you 100%
The BVI has problems like anywhere else but the BVI is one of the few places where you can go anywhere and 99 out of a 100 times you will make it home safe without being robbed or shot at. The scenes depicted by the video are rare events.
What Slow Wande going to do? What a waste; who put him there again? Oh yeah. He and the other Unified Id**ts usurped power and sold out the Territory