Police Act hasn’t kept up with modern crime
Governor John Rankin has once again called for a return of the Police Act to the House of Assembly after lawmakers rejected a version proposed by the Governor and passed a watered-down version of the Act earlier this year.
The most recent bill proposed dozens of revisions to the 2019 version of the Bill after that version had also attracted major concerns and public backlash.
However, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said back in February that attempts to modernise the bill and consultations done with the public did not find favour with residents. “There were some amendments made to the bill which were troubling to members of the public,” Dr Wheatley stated.
But Governor Rankin has insisted that the Bill discarded by lawmakers earlier this year should come back to the House for debate.
“One of the things which I’ve said before and I’m going to say again today that I do want to see, more immediately, is the Police Act brought back to the House of Assembly. The Police Act, the current police regulations and legislation hasn’t kept pace with modern crime,” Rankin stated.
Rankin argued that the Act also hasn’t kept pace with modern techniques that criminals use and called for an updated Police Act in line with best standards in the region, in Europe and in North America to tackle these issues.
“I continue to encourage that Act to come back to the House of Assembly for consideration precisely to address those concerns for the public and to give the police the powers, the modern powers they require to help to protect and keep us all safe,” the Governor added.
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People of BVI and elected officials wake up and please DO NOT pass that new police act as is written because it is riddled with abuse of power. The c——-t Commissioner of Police is out of control and is abusing his powers as is now and is getting away with it because he is always allowed to defend himself without an independent investigation coupled with he is being protected by the Governor no matter what because both are from the UK & have the same wicker agenda. The Governor full well know the real intent behind the new police act is to innocently destroy the freedom and rights of the people of the BVI.
The Governor, Commissioner of Police and their UK bosses are wolf in sheep’s clothing. This law gives away our human and constitutional rights and freedom. Giving the police the authority to search homes without a warrant is dangerous especially with this questionable character as Commissioner of Police. He needs to be removed and investigated immediately. If it was a local or Caribbean person under so much cloud of allegations of wrongdoing, they would have already been put on leave and investigated. We have no representation from this dictatorship in modern day times.
He need to go back to England we’re not in slavery anymore in the BVI why is he pushing for this agenda.
Why you don’t want the police act ??? Cause you ain’t want your nephew them go jail talk to them drug nephews of yours hiring man from st kitts to kill. Time will tell soon Ms
This Governor think we are fools. He needs to go do his work and suspend the commissioner of police right away and then set up an independent investigation of his actions and do not use just UK people so they can cover anything up for their own and bring forward a report to say what they were hired to say like what was done with the COI. Enough is enough. No more high handedness through more power with this act as written. It is anti democratic.
You just as worthless all you do is flap your donkey lips stop protecting your family and correct your nephews when they wrong justice for all the people who your nephews payed to get wiped off.
Every news site you under talking go talk to your nephew with blood on them hands and tell your big mouth sister stop lying her boys kill eddo.
The reality is that if you own a wireless device you have already handed over the information needed by law enforcement. Either get rid of everything electronic or don’t commit crimes. It doesn’t matter, as our ex-premier learned, if the Police Act passes or not, you have alredy released the information.
Up to now I have not heard a decent explanation for why the police need so much authority. Immunity and all kinda thing they want, want to search people property without warrants etc. The governor need to get from here with that. My question is when they have all this power now who polices the police? The governor and the chief of police who is somehow always a white men from the UK can guarantee this power will not be abused?
I am not totally in disagreement with the proposed act, but there are some things I simply do not agree on, for example any and all search warrants should be done with ALL police officers wearing working bodycams. Those bodycams should not be turned off until they return to the police station. I say this because they sometimes pick up people or bring people to their or other people property. I say other cause sometimes they dont even get that information right. It has a lot of thieving and lying police working in the BVI. It won’t be a measure just to protect the public but also the police from any accusations that someone or people might pose against them. It will also show people behaviour on the search. Some of you police like to get on, just as well as some of us in the general population like to get on too.
When you kidnap an inmate and extradite him you should be investigated.
The Police were involved in the biggest drug bust in BVI’s history and they are on bail. More power for what?
DON’T DO IT! DO NOT PASS THAT BILL. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
This “governor” wants to tweak & pass the police act before passing the cannabis act 2020.
He wants two aces in hand to abuse the people’s rights & refuse to address the people’s concerns over the two acts.
Can the journalists please analyze the bill and summarise what is being proposed? It would be helpful to understand if there are proposals which would empower BVI police beyond the powers held by the UK police. UK police cannot search property without a warrant and if it was suggested that they should have this power people in UK would not agree to this. What is good for the goosey is good for the gander.