Leader of the Opposition Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3), right, is not optimistic Police Commissioner Michael 'Mick' Matthews, left, can find 20 local recruits for the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force. Photo: VINO/File

Talk show host Mr Doug Wheatley has said that in law enforcement it is important to have as many local persons as possible. Photo: VINO/File

It was Premier and Finance Minister Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith, during an address to the police force, said the government will support the recruitment of an additional 30 officers.

Commissioner Matthews has said Government’s support will go towards recruiting an additional 30 officers; 20 of whom will be persons born or raised in the territory and ten will be recruited from overseas to bring immediate needed skills to the force. Government is also providing the funding for the training of the 20 new officers.

However, when given the opportunity to speak under ‘Any other business’ in the First Sitting of the Second Session of the Third House of Assembly on September 23, 2016, Hon Fraser had this to say. “Madam Speaker it bothers me when I hear the Commissioner of Police saying he needs 30 police officers but he is going to source 10 of them from overseas, 20 will come from here.”

“You know if he was in the UK he wasn’t going to be saying that! He is going to get 20 from UK and 10 from Belgium. But there are differently realities Madam Speaker. He probably already saw where he cannot find 30 officers here. He going to have the living devil finding 20,” continued Hon Fraser.

Make the job ‘attractive’

Noting that this would be no fault of the CoP as he is new in the territory, Hon Fraser said “That’s what happens when it all comes down to money. We have to find a way, we, Minister of Finance/Premier we have to find a way to make these occupations attractive to our people and it’s not all about money.”

Considering some reasons why locals are not interested in becoming police officers, Hon Fraser said it may very well have to do with the conditions under which they are made to work. “Maybe the conditions are unbearable for them. We have to look at these things. We cannot turn our backs on it and leave it to the people who are now running the system.

Important to have locals as police officers

On Friday, September 2, 2016, Mr Doug Wheatley said on the 3D Show on ZBVI 780 AM that in law enforcement it is important to have as many local persons as possible.

He also noted that he believes the territory does not want a predominance of officers from the other islands, explaining that locals will be more prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country than the outsider.

“So I would like to see my Commissioner try to recruit as many of the officers that he thinks he can locally and not just rushing to get numbers in order to say our complement is 230. It’s not just a matter of numbers, we have to be very, very careful in the selection of persons that we get to fill these positions,” Mr Wheatley had remarked.