UPDATE - Police Commissioner Frazer announces his retirement
This news agency was first to break the news on February 21, 2012 that Frazer was going to retire. The Top Cop, who is only the second local Commissioner of Police, made the announcement today March 28, 2012.
In a radio and television statement, Frazer thanked the Government of the Virgin Islands for the opportunity to serve and the wise counsel, advice and mentorship given by his predecessors, past and present colleagues as well as the rank and file of the Police Force.
The Commissioner, who started out his public service career as a school teacher, rose through the ranks of the Police Force to become the top cop. The first local Police Commissioner was former Legislator and Attorney Vernon E. Malone.
Tenure as Police Commissioner mixedFrazer’s tenure as Police Commissioner is mixed. He rose to the Commissioner's post following the shooting and hospitalization of then Police Commissioner Barry Webb who was shot by a fellow police officer and the officer in question committed suicide while serving a 14-year prison sentence.
Most of the top brass within the RVIPF was shocked when two years ago it was said by a former Governor and Premier that there was no one in the force to take up the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police, hence the recruitment of United Kingdom Deputy Commissioner David Morris.
Frazer was publicly silent on those claims. One of the applicants, who was rejected for the post of Deputy Commissioner, is now the Commissioner of Police in Antigua and Barbuda, a police force that is three times the size of the RVIPF.
Furthermore, under Frazer’s watch, many local police officers allegedly felt that he was not looking out for them and they were allegedly singled out for discipline, lack of promotion, and lack of support to address vexing issues.
It was also reported that the number of locals joining the police force under Frazer has not increase significantly, with the RVIPF now filled with many Jamaicans, Vincentians, Guyanese, Africans and UK Officers. Virgin Islands News Online cannot independently verify these claims.
Commissioner Frazer was also seen by his critics as too “soft”, not media savvy and not in control of the RVIPF. Frazer also witnessed an increase in some crimes and a decrease in others.
However, there were positives. Frazer was instrumental in increasing recruitment in the force, modernization of the force and he saw much improvement with the infrastructure of police stations on Tortola such as Cane Garden Bay and the Police Headquarters in Road Town, the capital city.
He also presided over an improved marine base with new boats as well as bringing on stream CCTV to help with crime fighting. He was able every year to advocate for resources through the national budget process to purchase new equipment, new police vehicles and allowed officers from all ranks to receive training locally and overseas to improve their skills.
He will also leave the force with better investigative techniques, the interruption of major drug and crime rings, and more resources in general although not nearly enough to function at optimal level, according to information from some top brasses.
Efforts to solicit a comment from Police Commissioner Reynell Frazer were unsuccessful as the Police Information Officer Diane Drayton told this news site that the Police Commissioner will have no comments.
David Morris to Act
While no announcement has been made by Government or the National Security Council, the UK Deputy Commissioner David Morris is expected to act as Police Commissioner from in April and it is unclear if he will be given the Commissioner‘s post. Sources inside the RVIPF told this news site that there are speculations the he already has the backing of the United Kingdom appointed Governor, but they did not confirm how they got this information.
However, when this news site asked the source, if they spoke to Governor William Boyd McCleary on his position, the source said “No! But stay tune and you will see what happen once Frazer goes on pre-retirement leave.”
Sources inside the RVIPF reported that relations with Morris and black officers have improved after this news site broke the news last year about a rift between black officers vs whites and local officers vs expatriate officers which has affected the moral, and team working relationship of the organization.
In May 9, 2011, an article entitled ‘who is in charge of the RVIPF, is the Deputy too powerful?’ some officers speaking to this news site have alleged that there might be subtle discrimination in the RVIPF, as in a few meetings, Deputy Commissioner Morris had allegedly said that he needs the United Kingdom Officers as the local police officers do not “have the skills and capabilities like his UK officers”.
One officer had further told Virgin Islands News Online that Morris was allegedly always pushing a Nigel Nivens, a UK officer who is the Senior Investigative Officer, and telling the other local officers of Nivens’ alleged police skills that no other local officers have to investigate crime. However, another police officer told this news site in the same article mentioned above, that when crime occurs at night ‘we never see Nigel but he is the SIO”.
Following the Virgin Islands News Online article, the Deputy Commissioner made an attempt to censor this news site by shutting us out of all press conferences held by the RVIPF, removing our name from press release circulars including the reporters personal E-mail addresses and disallowing any senior officer from speaking to this news site on matters of public information.
Morris’ unprofessional, illegal and unconstitutional act was met with outrage from most in the legal and professional class, however, he has since lifted the ban without this news site having to seek remedy and intervention in the courts. Since then, he has maintained a good relationship with this news site and has done several interviews and spoke to what the RVIPF is doing to fight crime.
CorrectionWhen Virgin Islands News Online first posted the original story on Commissioner Frazer’s retirement, a typographical error was made in which it was stated that former Police Commissioner Barry Webb was “shot under Frazer’s watch”. The typo, therefore, rendered that one very short line in the article incorrect, for in fact Commissioner Frazer was the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the time when former Police Commissioner Webb was shot.
We deeply regret the typographical error in the original article and offer our sincere apologies to Commissioner Frazer.
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