Governor defends controversial Police Act despite strong public concerns
Speaking at a Wednesday, February 14, 2023, press conference, the Governor said despite the concerns he is committed to protecting the Human Rights of individuals within this territory.
Police act not a rushed piece of legislation - Governor
“BVI is a territory which benefits from the European Convention of Human Rights applying to it and indeed my own background as a human rights lawyer, and I would always wish to do nothing, which is a contravention of international human rights standards.
“Secondly, let me say that the Police Act and its updating has actually been in progress for many years, and therefore, it is not a rushed piece of legislation and what's also important is that while protecting human rights, we also give the police the modern techniques which are required to tackle modern crime, and one of those techniques, for example, is taking DNA samples,” he said.
In Section 27-35 which deals with fingerprints, foot impressions and DNA, concerns were raised that the Bill essentially allows the police to take fingerprints of a person without consent in almost every imaginable circumstance, without a warrant for the same.
The Governor defended that DNA and fingerprinting can be carried out and if that is used... for example to catch a rapist, “I make no apology for that,” he said despite the potential for abuse.
Meanwhile, Section 36 of the same Bill will allow for the police to search persons in their dwellings without a warrant, if they have reasonable grounds for believing that the person does not live there or does not have permission to be there.
Section 38 will allow a police officer to search the home of someone who is arrested on an arrestable offense without a warrant, even without that person being present. This provision should frighten the public on the face of it, according to one local activist.
No warrants sometimes necessary - Governor Rankin
Governor Rankin added, “With regards to going to a house without a warrant, sometimes in an emergency situation that will self-evidently be required. If the police have reason to believe that a serious crime is going to be committed, if someone is going to be subject of a violent assault or a murder, then the police need to act to protect the individual,” he said.
The Police Act, 2023 had its first reading on Thursday, February 2, 2023, in the HoA, sparking an immediate public backlash.
Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said Members of the House of Assembly have engaged the BVI Bar Association, individual lawyers, concerned citizens, and a number of other stakeholders and the concerns are consistent enough to warrant that the bill not be passed in its current form.
Dr Wheatley had also expressed concern that the public was not privy to and did not request certain amendments that had shown up in the draft Bill.
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53 Responses to “Governor defends controversial Police Act despite strong public concerns”
with all the shooting going on/ that is the police from the UK excuse to armed themselves/ where these UK Cops Hails from; killing a colored woman or man while on active duty is normal
will this new laws says what should happen when our people are shot down by police
These colonizers aint even hiding their damn agenda no more. It's blatantly obvious to all. Well guess what w***e boy?? we aint going stand for this one here.
Majority of them already think hey above the law because they have the king uniform on.
GTFOH & MMWTBSB
Thank god BVI leaders where in charge or we would be mandatory injected as the wanted to put stumbling block after stumbling block in our way through loss of livelihood & loss of recreation, as if we are cattle to divert into certain cages.
People ripping their family & friendships apart over who is vax from who isnt.
Man that was Afghanistan's weapons of mass destruction all over again, all lies and we feel for it hook line & sinker.
They even got a black man Collin Powel to do the lying to congress by holding up a fake vial of mass destruction.
Later admitted to be a complete fabrication.
The age of information we can easily look back a mere few years and see how they operate.
Anyone else remember covid "herd immunity, extending the curve" or anyone remember the fake charts they showed on TV when NATO troops moved into Afghanistan, showing the areas where these weapons of mass destruction where supposed to be?
Or does anyone else remember that aid worker who was killed by a drone strike along with his little cousins & 2 year old children while the world watched the pull out from Afghanistan - about 20 years after they didnt find not one weapon of mass destruction.
Wow wow wow the track record of the colonialist is incredible.
We need to stop calling them colonialist they are more like terrorist but that is too kind a word for them, devils more like it.
They are literally sick of no knock warrants in America by police dressed down in black as burglars and the innocent deaths it causes. Breonna Taylor One innocent death too many.
Talking about an extreme situation? Yea that Afghani aid worker, his cousins and children were killed because someone thought an extreme situation was at hand to justify killing him. Opps
iv never seen John Kirby more nervous on TV than being made to tell that particular lie when he likely knew children died, he repeatedly described that sinful incident as a righteous strike at the media conference.
In the end they investigated themselves and no one was found responsible for innocent deaths which occurred while the whole world was watching.
Yet we run to give this type of police culture more and more power. But its not US that wish to mass surveil the people or trample on our own rights.
Search warrant without the person present on reasonable grounds? They can easily plant the DNA and fingerprint from other people anywhere!