Top cop denies claims that police not visible in community
Police Commissioner Mark Collins has countered claims by some residents that his officers are not visible within their communities and has suggested that more community engagements are being made now than has been done previously.
In the wake of a spate of violent crime recently, government and security officials met with the media to discuss some of the issues they have been working on and to share some of the success they have had as well.
“Certainly, one of the things that I’ve made sure of is that the community policing teams are out there walking and and talking and actually I do get quite a lot of feedback about the community officers engaging with business people out and about being visible on a daily basis,” Collins said in response to a question from the media.
The top cop explained that, although he, too, gets told that ‘cops aren’t visible enough’, officers are deployed daily in town centres. He said this is also particularly around the Tortola Pier Park area now, following an armed robbery incident that happened just a few weeks ago at that location.
“We put the resources where they’re needed, but the community officers are out there visible and they are walking the streets,” Collins emphasised.
He added: “What I’ve done is, I’ve removed the response officers to be briefed at their morning shift, afternoon shift, and night shift at Road Town Police Station. So, they are all properly briefed and debriefed. They know where the crime hotspots are. They know what the topic of the day is and where the resources need to go. They are then deployed across the territory, East End, West End, central, and foot patrol.”
Cane Garden Bay not closed
In a related comment, Collins also denied that the Cane Garden Bay Police Station has been closed as was suggested by some residents. He explained that officers are present within the community even if the station’s door is closed.
“Now, on occasions, the door is closed and the reason the door is closed is because the officers are out walking in the community and talking to people and engaging,” Collins stated.
He also gave more insight into how officers are deployed in that area, noting that he can put a police officer behind a desk at the police station and leave them there for 8 hours where they will probably see three or four people asking for directions, advice or guidance.
Alternatively, Collins said he can place his officers where they can engage with 300 or 400 people on the beach in Cane Garden Bay once cruise ships are in port.
“Our community police officers continue to work out of the East End and West End and Cane Garden Bay on a full-time basis. So, we’re not closing police stations,” he said.
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Sorry, but you are talking half-truths at best in order to avoid the true issues at hand. You know full well the presence of Police is inadequate, and you know full well closing a police station to go on community walks is not acceptable!
Pls.come VG and get these fat a** greasy women on foot patrol to make their present be felt instead of driving around in A/C eating
Why you did not mention VG sir?Pls. get your officers in place.Thank you.
This man does tell a lot of untruths. Big rise and shine in East End and no police at station there. He just need to get out of our country. He brings nothing to the table. Vacation time up! From the time he did that video and told those lies I don’t trust a word coming from his mouth.
People watching years pon years now feh see wen one sided law gon start invading dem deh house ah night, an dem boats an carrs.
BVI needs an “it’s about time” Alabama experience yo .
People watching for years now and seeing the PRIVILEDGE and mode of life some aare privy to here. Even the ghost dem talking bout it.
Og course they will show their twisted mentals with 100. tsd. Dem. and the truth nah no fren.
I respect the BVI police. They are for the main part loyal dedicated public servants. But they are invisible. They need to be on foot patrol around all of our communities, interacting with those they serve. Community policing is a proven successful model. Lock them away in cars and making them invisible is such a bad strategy. Mr Commissioner, you are bright and experienced: please act on this.
This man tell lies plus he is a ra**st
The officers must each have ticket books and start enforcing the traffic laws by writing tickets. I watch police cars having to stop and wait because vehicles are parked illegally blocking a traffic lane and they do nothing about it! I see Police vehicles ignoring stop signs, not using turn indicators. It is difficult to get the citizens to obey the laws when the police don’t enforce them and ignore them.
Start being real police officers, examples for the community, and start enforcing the all the laws!!
Need bobby on the beat in bobby’s community eh.
That’s not true, I was in a jam the other day and everybody pass me by, you know who helped me, four police officers ! I thanked them so much. They are around, thank you.
Policing is 24/7 can’t only have stations open during the day!
Watch Pinocchio face in that picture. This commissioner has lost the trust and faith of the public from the minute he lied so blatantly about that video. The trust of the public is important in these types of jobs and the public do trust this commissioner. He needs to go. Plain and simple.
Hmmm,in my younger days never saw a policeman unless I was in Town and then, maybe..
No need. Folks were of a different breed and ch aracther. With the unfortunate influx of the lower and cursed breed there will never be sufficient police and cages Hundreds of policemen were imported from updeislun and an additional set from the Uk still not enough . Balsum was built to accommodate the said imported and a second prison one is badly needed.
This speaks volumes about the group demographic dominating these Islands.
Bvi,a self made disaster. Predictable example of self destructive Governance. Mirror image of the neighboring chain of failed economies and social construct engineer by Black Governance
Mr.COP..Please. I attended the cultural celebration at Green land.At no time I saw a police officer or patrol on the dam area.stop lying and presenting false hoods.
the video revealed yhe truth / but it obvious bthst a lot of people are more hurt over the video than the brutal execution style cold blooded killers flexing off with their guns / how wonderful is that ❓️/
You are so right
Truth be told, RVIPF police are for the most part lazy, fat and incompetent. They wear uniform and use police vehicles to do their weekly shop. They are homophobic and pedantic and most of all simply clueless, which is why there is a constant stream of real cops from UK having to be there to assist, they are clueless and thick.
It’s called gaslighting. You tell enough obvious lies to enough people, often enough. Eventually some of those people will question their own sanity and start to believe all type of lies.
That technique won’t work in the BVI.
They are only around when ships in to save face. When they out in the community they harassing people. Struppez
Truth no police on patrol. They are like lazy customs and immigration and would rather sit on their behinds all day inside.
When we do see them, they never come out of their cars. Lazy. No patrols, no interaction with public, no communication.
Do we have police? Maybe not
You are absolutely right, correct, yeah!!!
Because they are by internal insti†utional design not going to enter or patrol your neighborhoods, stop your boats or your cars.
The BVI is a terrritory that is policed by institutional racially profiling policing.
That is the gospel truth. That is fact. The history is there for all to see. It occurs every day.
One group can freely smuggle in what everfreely, smoke whatever free from any type of law scrutinization, intervention or other. This is a decades old commuistic practice of the priviledged and entitled class.
Democracy? What is that? Nothing but disguised hypocrisy!