Locals shut out of key roles in law enforcement review?

A wide-ranging review of the BVI’s law enforcement and criminal justice sectors by a United Kingdom team has raised concern over the proposed exclusion of Virgin Islanders from senior roles in newly created or restructured agencies.

The review, led by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, made 375 recommendations intended to overhaul the territory’s law enforcement landscape by 2035. Among them is a call for leadership in new entities to come largely from external sources, due to current gaps in skills and experience within the BVI.

“We are concerned that not all the skills and experience required are available within the current talent pool in criminal justice and law enforcement agencies,” the report stated. It further warned that, “Placing Belongers into senior roles too early, or without the necessary support, risks setting them up to fail.”

The review also criticised restrictions that limit recruitment in some agencies to Belongers, saying such a practice “unduly restricts the talent pool and is holding back the development and improvement of these organisations.”

It noted that while the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and the prison service have historically recruited non-Belongers, other entities like HM Customs have not.

In response to the skills shortage, the report recommended that “leadership capability across the existing law enforcement agencies should therefore be strengthened with external hires, at least in the short to medium term.”

While the report acknowledged “a number of highly talented individuals who, with the right development, mentoring and support, have the potential to reach high office,” it concluded that “skills and experience gaps exist now” and must be filled immediately.

The UK review’s suggestions have sparked a backlash in the BVI, particularly regarding the potential centralisation of power under the governor. Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has warned that such changes risk rolling back democratic progress.

“We will not give more responsibility to the governor. That’s taking us backwards and we should not allow a COI or law enforcement review to take us backwards,” Wheatley stated.

The UK team recommended that agencies such as HM Customs, Immigration, the Financial Investigation Agency, and a newly proposed Bureau of Financial Investigation fall under the governor’s direct oversight, departing from the current model where elected officials share responsibility.

“This is a takeover,” Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn said during the House of Assembly debate on the report. “It is the Order in Council through the back door.”

He also criticised a clause in the report which recommended that senior leadership roles be filled only by persons who had already led similar agencies in other jurisdictions. “That one line disqualifies all of us,” Walwyn said. “You see how we dead one time? Bam, bam, bam.”