UPDATE: Police presence back on Anegada!
Virgin Islands News Online first reported on June 16, 2015 that the island was without police officers as they had abandoned their posts due to an infestation of bats at the building that houses the station and the living quarters for officers.
The Public Relations Department of the RVIPF stated today, June 17, 2015 that it was indeed a fact that the officers had gone off island but this was for a short period. "The officers are on island now. While new accommodations were being arranged, there was a brief period when officers were not on island," said RVIPF Information Officer Ms Diane Drayton.
Subsequent to the matter being made public, the RVIPF had made a public release later in the day stating that the force continues to provide a policing service to the island.
The release further stated, "While the Deputy Governor’s Office carried out its repairs to the Anegada Police Station barracks, temporary accommodation had been provided so that officers could continue serving the public on that island. Until the barracks are fully operational, the RVIPF will now work with the Deputy Governor’s Office to provide temporary accommodations for those officers assigned to the station. Therefore, the policing service to Anegada will continue unhindered," the press release had stated.
Calls to the sister island have confirmed that police presence is indeed back.
See article posted June 16, 2015
Bats run Anegada police ‘out of town’
-infestation @ police quarters have allegedly caused officers to fall ill
It is not exactly the scenario of the 1999 science fiction movie ‘Bats’, where a hostile swarm of genetically mutated bats terrorise a local Texas town and it is up to zoologist Sheila Casper, who teams up with town Sheriff Emmett Kimsey, to exterminate the creatures before they take more lives. However, an infestation of bats at the police outpost in Anegada has done enough to run the police “out of town”.
This news site has confirmed with many residents on the sister island of Anegada that up to yesterday June 15, 2015 the island was without a single police officer as the lawmen reportedly left due to bat infestation at their outpost and living quarters.
While up to press time there has been no response from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) Public Relations Unit to queries on this matter, residents told this news site that the situation is one to be considered very unfortunate and irresponsible of the highest level of the RVIPF administration.
Attempts were also made to reach Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Alwin A. James late yesterday afternoon, June 15, 2015 but without success.
Invasion of the bats!
According to reports from residents on the island, the police officers were chased out of the living quarters as a situation of bat infestation compromised their health status. “The guys were getting sick and before they all feel they left,” explained one resident.
While it could not have been confirmed exactly when the police officers left, residents said they believed that the island was without police officers since Saturday June 13, 2015. “We definitely sure that there was not a single one of them here for today (June 15, 2015) but it could have been since Saturday that they left because the vehicle has been parked there (at the Administration building) since over the weekend,” noted a resident.
“This is serious, this is a small island, and anything can go down at any time and now police there to do anything. This is certainly a shame on the Commissioner of Police (David Morris). Since he heard of this he should have gotten out of his office and get over here and deal with this matter,” alleged one man who said he was going to take the issue to the highest level of Government.
“Transportation is not an issue for the police, they have boats, they can charter a plane and come up here and deal with the matter, even if it meant renting a hotel room or two for a week to say the most to have the problem addressed, not a soul came and I bet they expected that it would have gone un-noticed and covered under a bushel, nonsense, dah mek sense?, now dah nah mek sense,” stated another.
Giving a background to the issue, several residents said the situation had constantly deteriorated from bad to worse. According to them, the ceiling of the building which houses the Administration Complex, including the Anegada Police Station, Government offices and the living quarters for the police officers, has been defective for a long time.
“What happens is the bats get into the ceiling and because the ceiling is so bad their droppings and piss (urine) keep coming through and what you find now is that my boys start getting sick because they on the top floor living, they getting sick and before everybody drop they cut out of the place,” said a local businessman.
Many promises not kept!
This news site heard that the entire Administration building in Anegada is in a sorry state of disrepair as officers of the RVIPF and other personnel who occupy the building have been made to work in deplorable conditions despite many promises by government to have the situation addressed.
“I know for a fact that they had a guy to fix the ceiling so that the bat would not have gotten in. I can’t say for sure if he was paid yet because I am not the bank or the check. I can’t prove that but I am 100% certain when I tell you this man was to have the problem fixed and he did nothing,” said one resident who declined to give the name of the person he was referring to at the time of speaking with this news site.
“He is a small contractor and I wouldn’t get into pulling no one through the mud. Government put it to him to do [repairs]. They are the ones to ensure that it was done and they failed because I am 100% sure that this was brought to their attention time and time again.”
It was further said that the furnishing in the building is also in need of replacing. “Check the furniture those people, including the police, have to sit on, the desks the chairs the cabinets, check the ceiling the walls the floor, everything atrocious, a hog would keep he sty better than that,” comment one woman.
One of the loud cries from Anegadians during the recent campaign trail is that they feel neglected as a sister island and had even suggested that Anegada be made a district by itself to ensure better representation in the House of Assembly (HoA). Some had even said they wanted an Anegadian to represent them in the HoA. Vernon V. Vanterpool, an Anegadian, tried unsuccessfully for the Ninth District.
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16 Responses to “UPDATE: Police presence back on Anegada!”
perhaps the id**t who got paid by the Police to fix their roof and decided just to leave the bats inside to die instead of getting rid of them properly should be arrested!
It is really really sad that TWO yes TWO police stations were shut down under the NDP watch. And in case you readers don't know West End Police Station has been shut down for almost a year now. The NDP government has shown minimal support to the RVIPF the major law enforcement and defense agency in the territory. And don't talk about district victimization Districts 1, 2 and 3 has been neglected basically for 3 1/2 years. Don't these NDP members realize that it is the people of the district being victimized and not the district reps?? I hope that this new term bring forth new changes in the mentality of the NDP government.