Plans underway to strengthen local policing

On the heels of a damning report arising from a law enforcement review conducted in the British Virgin Islands, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has indicated that the government has already begun plans to strengthen policing in the territory.

here have been suggestions that a root cause of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)’s perceived failure to consistently win cases could be, in part, due to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force’s improper handling of procedures. Director of Public Prosecutions Tiffany Scatliffe-Esprit had been receiving criticism for what appeared to be a poor record in court.

When questioned about this subject matter at a press conference recently, the Premier noted that the recommendations from the law enforcement review would address many of these issues. He said the review was designed to improve the ability to detect, arrest, and prosecute crime. “We’ve made resources available to strengthen the police department, as well as the Director of Public Prosecutions department, and the recommendations in the Law Reform report will inform improvements that will help us do a better job,” he explained.