Tell the police your name, residents urged

Inspector Smyrna Brewley

A police inspector, Smyrna Brewley, has found it fit to appeal for residents of the British Virgin Islands to understand that police officers have a right to ask any member of the public to state their name and address, as well as to request that they remove any material used to cover the face.

“It seems that some people are not aware of this law. If the police do not know who you are – and they reasonably suspect you have committed, are committing, or are about to commit an offence, or may be able to assist in the investigation of an offence or suspected offence – they can require you to provide your personal details,” she said in a post this week on social networking site Facebook.

The cop went on to state that it is against the law if a person does not – without ‘reasonable excuse’ – provide the said information requested by police.

“If the police reasonably suspect that you have given false personal details, they can request you to produce evidence to show that the details are correct. If, without a reasonable excuse, you fail to provide your personal details or fail to provide evidence to show that your personal details are correct, you are committing an offence. If you provide details that are false, you are committing an offence.”

Inspector Brewley continued: “Police can also require you to remove or adjust any face-covering to enable them to see your face and check whether the personal details you have given are correct.”

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