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.
Copyright 2025 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
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.