RVIPF launches community policing training
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) has launched a three-week community policing training programme to strengthen trust between officers and residents.
The training, which began on August 11, runs in weekly cohorts and is led by experts from The Officium Training Limited of Trinidad and Tobago.
It forms part of Acting Commissioner of Police Jacqueline Vanterpool’s wider plan to reshape policing in the territory.
“Effective policing is about presence, engagement, and trust,” Acting Commissioner Vanterpool stated. “Residents must know their officers not only during crises but as visible, approachable, and proactive partners in community safety.”
The programme gives officers practical tools to build stronger ties with residents. They are encouraged to turn everyday encounters into opportunities to create trust, identify problems before they escalate, and work with the community to solve issues rather than just filing reports. Officers are reminded that “the hand that arrests must first be the hand that helps.”
The training is part of a shift in the force’s approach, which now focuses on strengthening community partnerships and proactive crime prevention. Police leaders say the RVIPF will provide the resources, leadership support, and policies needed for this cultural change, but its success depends on officers embracing engagement as central to their role.
The push comes as the Virgin Islands faces a rise in crime. Earlier this year, police reported a 12 per cent increase in criminal activity, even as they maintained a detection rate of nearly half of all cases.
The RVIPF has also pledged to adopt more modern tools and training to support its work. Training has been a major focus for the force in recent years. Last year, new recruits completed seven months of study that included psychology, firearms, forensic work, and drills.
Acting Commissioner Vanterpool has also spoken about the need to raise the ambitions of local officers, urging them to prepare for leadership roles through further training and study.
This latest community policing initiative marks another step in that direction. It aims to embed officers more deeply in the daily life of neighbourhoods, ensuring that policing in the Virgin Islands is not only about law enforcement but also about building relationships and trust.
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Police about fraud of $5Million dollars being transferred to a bankrupt bank.
What action has been taken.
Can we get a community update thanks.
Stop looking at the people as criminals. Get to know them.
Community Policing from a criminal justice professional perspective. Police community service must focus on proactive engagement; regularly engage with the community through foot patrols, community meetings and social media to build relationships and gather information. Problem-solving; identifying and addressing the root causes of crime and disorder rather than just reacting to incidents and building trust through open communication and collaboration with the community. No ifs ands or buts. This must include the police being visible, accessible and responsive to the needs of the community. I’m not endorsing frivolous and malicious calls to the police for some petty bull nonsense even though you have to check those out as well. You have people in this society who do things like that. The police need to be working with local organizations, schools, other agencies and leaders to address local and community issues, concerns and local initiatives. There is a need for assurance in cultural competency that all officers understand and respect the diversity of the community they serve.
Police community relations also include. Transparency and Accountability, Positive Interactions. Regular community meetings. Neighborhood Watch Programs. Youth engagement programs. Community Surveys. Social media Engagement. Problem-Solving Workshops. Community Resource Centers and Focus on Vulnerable Populations. The vulnerable in this society also includes the elderly, disabled and homeless. Peace love and blessings. Be Brave.
supplemented with jobs and more jobs, especially and purposely directed towards the youths.
Building your country with importees with the requisite criminal mindset is a deliberate criminal act against these VI and its people.
The Whyte man’s brutal legacy of atrocities makes in comparison to this ongoing atrocity imposed on these VI and it’s people by their duly elected..
Reparations to we the people,specifically BVIslanders from these unduly and unconscioanable shady millionaires as a result is warranted.