Review finds poor oversight of public spending
A sweeping UK-commissioned review of law enforcement and criminal justice in the BVI has found major failures in financial oversight, revealing short-term budgeting, crumbling infrastructure and years of underinvestment that have severely undermined public services.
The report, published in Volume Two: Review of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Bodies, said the lack of coordinated planning and capital investment is “alarming and debilitating” and urged urgent reform.
“Budgets are set for only one year at a time. We saw no evidence of informal or formal planning beyond one year by the organisations or departments we reviewed,” the inspectors wrote.
They added, “The absence of an agreed long-term financial plan for law enforcement and criminal justice bodies is alarming and debilitating”.
The review, led by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, was ordered in response to recommendations in the 2022 Commission of Inquiry, which called for a fundamental reset of BVI’s law enforcement governance.
Inspectors warned that poor planning is compounded by widespread neglect of facilities and equipment across law enforcement agencies.
“We found: an absence of a long-term estate strategy or capital planning; inefficient and ineffective delegation of capital budgets; a lack of investment in technology (including communications equipment); and an overreliance on paper-based systems,” the report stated.
The findings highlight the poor condition of key infrastructure, including the main prison.
“Facilities across most law enforcement and criminal justice bodies are inadequate. We are particularly concerned about the state of repair of HM Prison Balsam Ghut,” the authors noted.
“We also heard examples where the Ministry of Finance had reduced organisations’ budgets mid-year. This happened without consultation or a clear reason for the reduction,” the report said.
Further delays in hiring staff and acquiring equipment were blamed on “multiple layers of bureaucracy” that limited spending authority, even after budgets had been approved.
“Having a budget didn’t necessarily mean that it could be spent,” the review explained. “Multiple layers of bureaucracy exist, which in some cases prevent the accountable officer from making decisions to recruit personnel or buy goods and services”.
The review recommended a 10-year capital programme, zero-based budgeting, and full financial delegation to law enforcement leaders to address these issues.
The government has since moved to debate the report’s 375 recommendations in the House of Assembly. Lawmakers vowed to oppose some of its recommendations, which would wrest control from the elected government and hand it to the governor.
The first volume of the review, released in 2024, addressed urgent operational failures, while the second volume focused on longer-term reforms through 2035. UK funding and oversight were deemed essential to implementing the proposals.
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Volume 2 with its 375 recommendations must be accepted NOW by the HOA. No debate necessary. If delayed for any reasons then the 2035 completion date is also delayed.
Without reading the report, this is a very very deep statement that reflects almost if not all government departments. Let’s see who wish to contest that there’s no poor financial sight, wastage and underinvestment.
“A sweeping UK-commissioned review of law enforcement and criminal justice in the BVI has found major failures in financial oversight, revealing short-term budgeting, crumbling infrastructure and years of underinvestment that have severely undermined public services.”
Would we accept this report if it was coming from CARICOM instead of the UK?
Wasted public monies for the benefit of the few, without any accountability, is how things have rolled around here for decades. Sadly, it’s too institutionalized to change meaningfully anytime soon.
Who would have thought that this once richest little territory would have come to this?
Thats when you put a Boy to do a man’s Job.
The Virgin Islands have become the Laughing Stock of the World.
How in the Name of Jesus did we get here?
The Contents of the Report tell the true Story of the condition of our Beloved Territory.
Don’t know about anyone else BUT I am for Change for the Betterment of these Virgin Islands or we are Doomed staying the same. It will only get Worse.
People of these Virgin Islands need to really Focus on what sort of Future we want for our Children and future Generations.
It seems like there is a Force to keep the People of these Islands blinded.
That is why a lot of People are losing Hope because a lot of the Churches are deliberately participating and contributing to the Downfall of the Society only because of personal gain.
People of these Virgin Islands, I plead with you to open your Eyes, your Minds, Seek God’s face and let him direct your Path and your Thinking and Stop focusing on yourself and Now. Think Future.
If we continue along this path in a few years we will not be able to recognize our Beloved Lil Territory.
There is a Demonic Spell on this territory that is hindering its growth and it is Time for this Spell to be broken.
This Territory needs Healing as there is still a lot of Wickedness in High Places.
Great comment. See how the Cline Clines have hi jacked religion and put it to bad use. Christian Council still not condemned &drew or many criminal deeds. Where are the Christians in the council.
I guess the pushback will be against giving the governor more powers because everything else from what i read sounds accurate!!
Before we get to that point of having a one man unelected band, which is the destruction of democracy and is an undercover takeover that is uncalled for, we need to first look at other options:
1)law makers need to have some competence in reading, understanding and writing laws (unlike the majority members of the current government, even with the help of their AG). Those who are incompetent need to voluntarily resign (including those who have their script written for them to fool the public into thinking they have sense); and
2) the minister of finance needs to be reserved for a person who has some relevant degree in finance OR compelling evidence of experience of running their own business profitably as an indication of financial literacy (I hear the current premier never as much as run a lemonade stand so what the hell was expected here).
Contrary to the prevailing beliefs (compliments of the premier) the people of the bvi (excluding no one) are not mostly STUPID and some do have the skills to do the job. We just have a population that keep voting for their family members and we also have snakes that cannot choose one side to stand on in politics. Before jumping to the other side, make your conditions clear. For example, if you all place Ronnie as premier, I am going to join the VIP. Story done.
Get you all act together!
BUT YHAT THE WIGGED ONE WITHE HIS WIG , WILL DREAM UP HIS USUAL FAKE STORIES AND THEN EMBELLISH THEM THEN START HIS USUAL RACIST NARRATIVES AND THEN TELL HIMSELF THAT HE’S A GENIUS AND WE WILL BELIEVE HIS CONSTANT BROKEN DOWN RECORD LYRICS
I dont see no lie here yet the report is racist somehow. We can do everything ourselves is the argument but dont want to fix or even aknowlege how poorly everything is done.
Clearly. And too much inflated costs with government spending. Kicking the maintenance costs down the road so that their supporters can get a new contract for the same work every few years. This happens in the US also. But it leaves us underdeveloped aka 3rd world. A leader with courage could fix it but those are not abundant in our society.
how can these investments be made when we have a lot of top jbs people “acting” as they cannot get the position and no one acting can make these budget decisions
Sowandie you humbugging the country you know meh son, I told you and Lorna told you that you shouldn’t bother with the Trinidad adviser and your brother to go mash up the budget for infrastructure and law enforcement and go pay Vybz Kartel quarter million USD, and all them parties Lorna warned you about them because she is a financial person, but as Fraser said he will go down that road with you anytime, which was granted to him to help sowandie to madh up the countries finances since he is not a finance person but just using his PhD title as a facade to sound over reaching. Natalio couldn’t run a candy shop. Now have poor Myron and the alliance trying to save the BVI from creeping further back into colonial rule because a sowandie mess and scramble for power when he went secretly to the UK to get his instructions as a stooge or yes man as the documents are showing now that he agreed with the UK just to get his hands on the premier seat.yhats how these planted stooge just come across to dupe us trying to sound like pan- africanist trying to speak against colonialism, just to get elected to office, then power devolve from the white colonials in natalio where he become high and mighty an take up $250k and give Vybz Kartel against the wishes of his parliamentarian colleagues and the tax payers of this country. Sowandie please go, and allow a change of government and UK will listen to a new administration.
Fraser is better off with the Government rather than with those bunch of power hungry Judases on the opposition side.
Try walking out of a supermarket with an item without paying for it and see what happens. Millions have gone down the drain and nothing happens to people in Central government. Example:BVI Airways to the tune of $8M plus. The former FS has been rewarded instead. We are light years from changing in this corrupted place.(sick)
This is not news it is what all of us know to be true,
Take a page from our book. Put the country and its people first! Get the best people around you and move forward to get change.