Premier proposes withdrawal of Police Bill
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley moved a motion in the House of Assembly moments ago to withdraw the controversial Police Bill. The motion was seconded by Opposition Leader Julian Fraser.
Premier Wheatley said attempts were made to modernise the bill and consultations were done with the public. However, residents were not in favour of the revisions lawmakers made to the bill.
“There were some amendments made to the bill which were troubling to members of the public,” Dr Wheatley stated.
According to the Premier, the situation surrounding the response to the issue was toxic.
Premier Wheatley said the bill came so late to the HOA that the public was not given an opportunity to get familiar with the new changes to it.
Lawmakers have recognised that they will need to at least amend the principal legislation in some instances to move the bill forward.
“It is my proposal to withdraw this bill today and to next week come back with a very small amendment to be passed which will accommodate for the DNA which is required and is vital to the work of the police,” the Premier added.
BVI News will bring more details on this breaking news item in a subsequent report.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
WE ALREADY IN THE WILD WILD WEST SO THOSE WITH THINGS TO HIDE WILL HAVE TO PROTECT THEIR INTREST / REMEMBER THE UK NAVY WAS BLOCKED TO PROTECT CERTAIN PEOPLE’S INTREST , AND NOW SOME OF THE PLAYERS ARE BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF , AND THINGS CAN GO BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL ,GUNS , MURDER , DRUGS ETC , WELL HALLELUIAH MORE POWER TO Ya’LL
Amen!
The police act and the constitution needs to speak the same language.
He need to remove it altogeter not come back with it next week
So many people here with assets that they can’t legally prove how they obtained them of course they’re going to inhibit this bill from passing.
You need to READ TO UNDERSTAND AND COMPREHEND not just to respond.
Didn’t they read it before voting for it the first time it came to the HoA.
It makes all the sense in the world to leave this bill in its current form for now. Pass the Human rights bill and the freedom of information bill first. People have rights and they must be protected to maintain democracy.
It was a failed bill
It gave our unelected “leader” full power to use the police as his own personal army. This is how a banana republic is run
Geh it outta here
Are we talking about the caucasians and their million dollar yachts and villas or just the black boys and their speed boats, chains and nice jeeps? Do we know where those people get their money to purchase their nice things? Let us see if you have the same energy for ALL and not just the brown top boys!!!
what pieces of UK drafted and proposed laws you want but the final result will be the same – suspension of the BVI constitution and direct rule by the UK until the 2030’s.
History will reflect the downfall of the BVI by the 12 member Unity party in 2023 by listing their names in perpetuity.
The police need to do some work, be visible visible patrolling the streets 24/7..Traffic officers out controlling traffic, especially scooters ensure they are adherent to the law. Do Some smart detective work, like get out, mingling, hanging out at nights, we need to see the efforts, the will, the passion. These things must come first, so we can say the police is really trying, lets work with them and give them what they really need, not all they ask for..
You had no call bringing it in the first place. Only because the public opened their mouth is why that bill didn’t become law.
Agree 10000%%%. When the force was less than a hundred We were doing lot more with lot less, we were doing all those things you mentioned that noe missing, now its up to about 300, I have to agree with your sentiments..
If peoples behave themselves we will have no need for police. Let go back in the days when no one lock their doors when they go town.
Silliness about 300+ people on police force, some playing FarmVille yet them can bring produce to town to sell, some watching YouTube,some sleeping till 3 pm in the afternoon and then get up saying the forget they shift was today.
Those who commit crime sent them back to their home country and those who stay send them government a bill for those native let their parents pay to keep them Balo. And dismantle the whole force. We no need crime!
The Police Act contains draconian powers that should worry anybody living in a western society with a competent and honest accountable police force.
However, giving an incompetent, unaccountable and/or politically motivated police force those powers would be really concerning. The RVIPF clearly falls into the first two categories. It is also especially concerning given the influence of the UK Government in the police force. This Governor could probably be trusted, but what if we get another one like the last one (who lied about summoning a British warship to the BVI when it had been scheduled to visit that day for more than 9 months).
The police need more accountability not less. They just had to pay out $30k for abusing their powers – under the new Act they would be entitled tondo what they did in that case.
So the Cabinet decisions for January came out where these same people in Cabinet collectively agreed that this same bill should go to the House of Assembly for debate. There was no mention of public consultation or review or any concerns in the bill mentioned in the post Cabinet brief.
Now after all the brouhaha over what was clearly not a properly consulted or thought through bill it is being considered for withdrawal.
The correct decision they should have made in January was to send the bill back to the drafters to review many areas of concern and ensure that there is proper public consultation before sending it to the HOA.
These politics games are in very poor taste.
With the way they wanted to man handle us in that bill its not really a police bill… its a take any right you thought you had as a private citizen away bill. Cancel you legally bill.
Ever since 9/11 and the birth of terrorism as a hot word the ‘free world’ has been going down the drain with increasing paranoia not to mention the powers that be lost every traditional advantage to technology everyone has access to, so now they use technology to take back their power.
All of it under the excuse of keeping us safe. safe from what?
Right now we need protections from overreach of governments and NEO COLONIALIST legislation.
Except for the world police leader of the ‘free world’ and well known police state that spies on its own citizens illegally, the empires have already fallen.
When the Caucasians that you mentioned start behaving in uncivilized and cannibal fashion habitually murdering for hire, their “brothers”, their children going to school armed as threats to teachers and classmates,their junior cannibals on motorbikes endangering motorists and pedestrians, noisy nocturnal bikers any hour all hours interfering with quality of life/ rest,slee p of citizens….
This Bill and any and all Bills applies to any and all but so far the demographic which you pointed out have not,as yet demonstrated such beastly behaviour and it’s doubtful that they will. They were a part of the BV before the invasion of the bad and the ugly group. They and the peoples of the VI together, created a successful economic base which regrettably attracted the invasion by the bad and the ugly.
Scotters are very fast and powerful now to escape. Let’s bring back the 50cc bike laws