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‘Don’t always rush to slap on handcuffs’- Retired police officer

- Mr James Winston Halliday said police officers should consider more summonses rather than arrests
Retired Police Officer Mr James Winston Halliday has urged serving ranks of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) to consider more summonses rather than slapping on handcuffs on people suspected to have fallen afoul of the law. Photo: VINO
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) held a Luncheon Ceremony at the Road Town Police Station on Monday February 27, 2017 to recognise its 50th Anniversary as an independent constabulary. Photo: VINO
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) held a Luncheon Ceremony at the Road Town Police Station on Monday February 27, 2017 to recognise its 50th Anniversary as an independent constabulary. Photo: VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - Advising based on his experiences back in the days as a police officer coming up through the ranks, retired Police Officer Mr James Winston Halliday implored present day Police Officers to be friendlier to the public and should consider more summonses rather than slapping on handcuffs on people suspected to have fallen afoul of the law.

Mr Halliday was a speaker at the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) Luncheon Ceremony held on Monday February 27, 2017 to recognise the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) as an independent constabulary. The ceremony was held at the Road Town Police Station.

Addressing retired and serving officers of the RVIPF, Mr Halliday advised that discretion be a watchword in policing, especially since the police needs to have a better relationship with members of the community.

"Discretion goes hand-in-hand with policing...Don’t always rush to slap on handcuffs on people. There is more than one way of dealing with situations and being high handed does not always work."

‘Young law breakers mostly mental cases’

Mr Halliday said; however, that many of the young people today who find themselves in the hands of the law are "mental cases."

"That's my personal belief," said Mr Halliday.

The retired officer, who kept his audience alive and constantly rocking in laughter, also advised that police approaching persons suspected of committing an offense should not be done in a manner that shows the officers have hatred in their hearts. "When you are approaching them (law breakers) be polite and speak with them...direct them without being hostile. Don’t be quick to handcuff and arrest them...refrain from using the handcuffs so easily, it’s better that way.... you can also summons them you don’t have to always have this brash approach, summons them."

However, several of the police officers, while enjoying the jovial presentation by Mr Halliday, said his old ways cannot work in 'these days'.

"He really think he can apply those same strategies today? No sir, can’t work. These guys we have to handle are so tough, they have no reasoning and sometimes force is the only language they understand, but he made some good points."

"We today have some much more to deal with than you had in your days sir, and you might be right that most of them are mental cases because they using the drugs and clogging up their mentals. You can’t even think of reasoning with them, and that talk of summons against arrests…he needs to come to court to see the confusion that happens with summons," said another police officer.

8 Responses to “‘Don’t always rush to slap on handcuffs’- Retired police officer”

  • WISE (01/03/2017, 16:35) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    The thing is the kids today are lack of respect therefore reasoning with them is a waste of time
  • ccc (01/03/2017, 16:55) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    Good idea
  • foxy (01/03/2017, 18:03) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Do not let up to placed them on politians
  • police (01/03/2017, 18:07) Like (4) Dislike (3) Reply
    my friend, in your days you could tell a young man to go up at the station and wait for me, and you bet your bottom dollar when you reach at the station, he there sit down waiting, can you tell that to a young man now?, what are you talking about old man, that was then, this is now, different generation, difficult youths, i don't play with them, you disrespect me or form the full, i slap the handcuff on you and up d road.
  • law abiding citezen (02/03/2017, 07:42) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    As silly as it may sound, the fact is that these politician sees the police as an enemy, the police is under the governor and not under a ministry, they are upset about that, they tried to get the police under a ministry and the UK shut them down before they even finished asking, the fact is that the UK knows their intentions, so they distance them self from the police because the police is under the governor, the do not take crime seriously, these guys are some jokers, we really need some serious people to lead this country.
  • "P" (02/03/2017, 16:28) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    It use to work then and it can work now all the Police wants to do it rough up people. I saw several cases where they enjoy using their new toys. A gentle man was at a bar and i agree he was making trouble, he was drunk. They called the police for him, they came and ask him to leave. He did leave but as they left the area he came back. They also warm him if they have to come back for him he would not like it. They did came back for him and i watch them threw him on a fence and spray him, he was helpless he could not do a thing, and they took him to the Police Station. They could have avoid all of that by taking him home the first time. I have seen cases long a go where police took people to their home. But now i guess they are getting strips now. Some of them are so cruel they have no love for people. A lot of those crimes can be solve but no one wants to give the police information because they are not nice people. They do not know how to talk to people. Mr. Halliday is right all they want to do is hand cuff you. If they go polite the criminal or Young men would have no reason to disrespect them. They go with evil in their eyes. A police will stop you a long the road and tell you that you fit the description of some one who rob some one at gun point and take you threw you in their jeep and carry you to the station. Promise you on the way going up you can make a call to your mother, and when you reach the station and ask to make the call they say you can not make the call. At that time you are innocent until proven guilty. After being up there for four hours you tell them you hungry they wait until 12:00 clock the night to give you something to eat. Ask them to urinate they took him outside and four of them surround him and say if he do not urinate outside he would not urinate at all. I would have twist and turn everyone of them would have to go home to change their clothe. At the end he was involve in the case. To this day he can not stand Police from how he was treated. If i have to continue talking about what i see them doing i will be here for a weeks.


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