Police call for community support in fight against crime

Acting Commissioner of Police Mr. Reynell Fraser is assuring the public that the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force is doing all it can to stem the rising tide of criminal activity on Tortola.

Speaking at a police press conference last Friday morning, the Police Chief said the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force appreciated the support of the public so far and looked forward to greater support.

He pointed out that between August 9^th and 30^th, an unusually high number of burglary reports were received by the Police, on August 9^th, 10^th, 16^th, 19^th, 23^rd, 26^th, 27^th and 30^th, 7 involving weapons and 4 without. He said from the reports, the robberies have been occurring in geographic spread and not necessarily centralized or confined to a particular area.  
Acting Commissioner Fraser noted that so far, thankfully, there have been no serious injuries as a result of these incidents. 

He said a number of proactive and intelligence led measures have been taken to target hot spots and other locations and known and active new criminals, in an effort to deal with this crime wave.  These include an increase in police presence, mobile patrol and stop and search operations.
Commissioner Fraser said the Police is confident that through these initiatives, the number of incidents will decrease.   He said the Police is mindful of the concerns of the public and said the Police is endeavoring to bring the perpetrators to justice.   He said this cannot be done in a vacuum however, saying the Police would need the support of the community.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at telephone number 468 0911.

He emphasized that the BVI is still a beautiful place to live, work and visit.  He said the territory still has a relatively low crime rate and the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force will strive to keep it that way.

He commended his fellow officers for their support and craved the prayers of the community as they continue to fight crime.

And in an effort to give individuals and business owners some advantage or alternative before a robbery takes place, Head of the Police Crime Prevention Unit Inspector Patrick Harewood has offered some advice.
He pointed out that most of the places that were targeted in these robberies were being operated without security personnel to keep watch of the internal and external activities.

Inspector Harewood reiterated that the police cannot be everywhere at every time and depend very heavily on the support of the public. 

He told business owners that the employment of security personnel may be necessary in an effort to assist in keeping their properties safe.