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RVIPF gets £1.2M from UK

- to be spent on hiring UK investigators, purchasing of vehicles & building materials, training of officers among other things
January 29th, 2018 | Tags: funding UK Michael B. Matthews spending Assistance RVIPF
According to Commissioner of Police Michael B. Matthews, left, £1.2M was made available to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) in late December 2017 and that the funds have to be spent by March 31, 2018. Photo: VINO
It was on March 16, 2017 that previous Governor Mr John S. Duncan OBE ordered that over $1.88M of public monies be taken from the Consolidated Fund and decided that the Police, Magistrate’s Court, Attorney General’s Chambers and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions be granted these funds. $890,000 was given to the RVIPF. Photo: VINO/File
It was on March 16, 2017 that previous Governor Mr John S. Duncan OBE ordered that over $1.88M of public monies be taken from the Consolidated Fund and decided that the Police, Magistrate’s Court, Attorney General’s Chambers and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions be granted these funds. $890,000 was given to the RVIPF. Photo: VINO/File
Hurricane Irma had ravaged the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) headquarters in Road Town. Photo: VINO/File
Hurricane Irma had ravaged the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) headquarters in Road Town. Photo: VINO/File
PASEA ESTATE, Tortola, VI- The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) has received direct funding from the United Kingdom to assist in its operations, which were hampered following the hurricanes of September 2017.

This disclosure was made by Commissioner of Police Mr Michael B. Matthews at a press conference in Pasea Estate this morning, January 29, 2018.

According to Commissioner Matthews, £1.2M, or $1.69M according to current currency exchange rates, was made available to the RVIPF in late December 2017 and that the funds have to be spent by March 31, 2018.

The top cop said the RVIPF realised there was going to be a “huge volume of repairs and replacements required needed across the whole of the public service” and the RVIPF had to see where else assistance could be obtained.

“The UK recognised that as the case as well and offered their support and assistance to the security of the Territory and to make sure that we could quickly restore some of the capacity and capabilities we lost during the storm.”

How will the money be spent?

According to Mr Matthews, some of the monies will be used to bring 6 officers from the United Kingdom to investigate murders. Four of those investigators, he added, are already here.

“We are trying to spend it as quickly as possible… I haven’t exactly got the figures, but what we have done is that we have got firearms trainers on the ground at the moment, we have extra detectives on the ground at the moment, we have had at least two vehicles ordered and we have had materials ordered for some of our worst damaged buildings. There is a fair bit of that money being spent as we sit here now.”

The funds, according to Commissioner Matthews, was made availabe to the RVIPF from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) through the Governor's Office.

Where is the $890, 000 given by previous Governor?

It was on March 16, 2017 that previous Governor Mr John S. Duncan OBE ordered that over $1.88M of public monies be taken from the Consolidated Fund and decided that the Police, Magistrate’s Court, Attorney General’s Chambers and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions be granted these funds.

$890,000 of the $1.88M was given to the RVIPF.

In an exclusive interview with Governor Duncan on June 22, 2017 he had said the effects of the extra funding to the Police and other departments would take time to bear fruits.

“...and as one of the bloggers said, ‘it takes time’. It’s not just, oh give me the money and everything happens, of course not, we have to address the underspending in the past four years, so that takes time to put it back together again.

It was known that the Police have brought in no less than six detectives from the United Kingdom, using the resources made available to them from the Consolidated Fund, a story first reported by this news site.

15 Responses to “RVIPF gets £1.2M from UK”

  • Scotland Yard (29/01/2018, 12:39) Like (2) Dislike (7) Reply
    hope this is not just to buy new British vehicles
    • @ Scotland yard (29/01/2018, 12:58) Like (2) Dislike (7) Reply
      Poor we will never see a dime of this it's going to circle back to the uk another trick

      While our people continue to fall victims to crime
    • JACK BE STILL (30/01/2018, 10:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      We'll know soon enough
  • Tallfat (29/01/2018, 13:04) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Yeah what was done with the money garnered by the Governor. Do give us the breakdown of how it was spent or not. Was all of it spent so much so that some windows and doors are still not fix four months IrmaiaAm sure it's not enough considering the damage done to the Police stations throughout the territory but it is high time we stop taking mere words without the facts, stats documentation. I mean show us your woes and the cost to remedy it. What will they do about VG and WE. Will they simply repair the roof and replace some windows????? Show us the plans, tell us Cost. We want to know the contractor (s). Last time bids sent out a certain family member got the work. Was it value for money at WE&EE? It is high time for some accounting. How many vehicles were damage/destroyed? How many vehicle will be needed now and what's the cost? where will the equipment be kept as some of the GIFTS is not being kept in a manner befitting their necessity. What are the plans for the rtown station. Do tell us cause the investing $$$$$$$ chopping of an old building seems like a disaster waiting to a fault. Hard questions need to be ask and answered backed up with proper records. Time the people make certain demands of those who we put to lead our departments.
  • my run (29/01/2018, 14:39) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    hope Gus audit the police force like he auditing my long wall
  • wize up (29/01/2018, 16:38) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    government within a government(don’t U just love it).....
  • man about town (29/01/2018, 18:28) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    We the people will like to have a report on how the money will be spent. Please we need accountability in this respect. Mr. Matthew keep an eye on this money or I sure it will disappear and then you will look bad. We need more cameras in statigic areas to help us fight crime, because society has failed us in regards to assist our local police with informations.
    • wize up (29/01/2018, 19:58) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      @ man about town/ call Fahie quick and ask him to keep track on the accountability of those funds-not only the locals should be held to scrutiny or then accountability!!!! What a World-how sweet it is(talk that)
      • man about town (30/01/2018, 17:57) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Wise up I have called Mr. Fahie number but got no answer. I am woundering if Irma went with his phone.
        • wize up (30/01/2018, 22:42) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
          @ man about town: send a text or WhatsApp; better yet have someone from #1 make the contact with him for you
  • Diplomat (29/01/2018, 18:53) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
    No doubt, the BVI needs effective policing and facilities, personnel, equipment and current technology to pursue and attain it. The £1.2M or $1.69M is welcomed. Nonetheless, I have to ask the question. Was the NDP government snuffed again by the FCO/Governor? Was the funding given directly to the Comish or did it go through the Premier? Is this another dissing for the NDP? Look like the FCO is more comfortable dealing with its own. If the CoP were a local or from regional country would the FCO be so accommodating? The UK aid seems to be benefitting UK nationals. Did the NDP government earned the dissing? Are there two governments in the BVI operating on parallel tracks? Does the NDP have the stones to fight back? Is colonialism reemerging or it never went away?
  • thank you (29/01/2018, 20:32) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
    Always negative comments on here. Thank you UK, thank you for supporting us. And people here still want independence?
    • wize up (30/01/2018, 11:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      @ thank you: supporting us(give me a break) giving someone what rightfully belongs to them is not supporting(you probably forgot the cotton picking days and cane cutting days) where your fore parents work for FREE(no love lost)
    • smh (31/01/2018, 21:40) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Which people here? Thank God for the UK!
  • Need Wise spending (30/01/2018, 12:08) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hope they can now have two police shift on Anegada and cut out this one police shift crazinrss..


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