Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Female police officers charged to ‘maintain positive work ethics’

Female police officers charged to ‘maintain positive work ethics’

On the occasion of the 55th Anniversary of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF), special emphasis is being placed on recognising the contingent of women who make up the male-dominated force.

During a gala event in their honour, the female police officers in the RVIPF were charged to maintain positive work ethics at all times.

The all-black themed event was held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at Manhattan Lounge at Slaney Point, Tortola, where they were treated to a three-course meal, live entertainment by the Female Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Band, special awards and a keynote address by Superintendent of Police of the Barbados Police Service, Ms Christine Stanford.

'Examples of power & courage'


The theme was ‘Time of reflecting, re-strategising & re-positioning for 21st Century’.

In her address, Ms Standford quoted an unknown author saying, “Not all women are created equal, the best become police officers,” as she charged them to be confident, to continuously improve their knowledge, skills and to maintain a positive work ethic.

“I encourage you to be mindful that the latter half of the last Century and continuing, women worldwide have stood up as examples of power and courage alongside their male counterparts. This has been significant in leadership roles and moreover, in previously titled non-traditional roles or male-dominated career fields.”

According to Stanford, this must continue as it is important that women police remain above reproach in their conduct and set examples of integrity for all in the force, both males and especially females.

“There is still much to be done as women emerge and maintain positive role model influence, overcoming challenges, achieving and maintaining parity with men, while displaying the highest standards of conduct.”

She alluded to the fact that the RVIPF, like any modern law enforcement entity, has an enormous responsibility, especially given the range of national security challenges faced today.

The keynote address at the RVIPF gala event was given by Superintendent of Police of the Barbados Police Service, Ms Christine Stanford.


Accomplishments of women in RVIPF


The women of the RVIPF heard that women have been represented at every level of the force in the Virgin Islands.

It started in 1966 when Ms Eileen L. Baronville became the first enlisted female. She served for 34 years and retired as Inspector of Police.

In 2012 Woman Inspector Paula Alleyne became the first female Chief Inspector and is presently Acting Detective Superintendent of Police.

“Females throughout the force have continued to emerge to high heights and in 2016 the proverbial glass ceiling in the organisation was broken when Woman Inspector Jacqueline Vanterpool was appointed as the first female Superintendent of Police and presently Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police.”

She insisted, “Ladies, if you want to achieve success without hard work, without improving knowledge of the job, the only other way would be to cut corners and subject yourself to favours and the fancies of those who you consider to have your future in their hands. Instead, I wish to strongly encourage you to plan carefully in all areas, particularly family life. Family can get in the way if you don’t plan properly, especially if you want to make policing a career. I usually recommend having a plan A and plan B.”

Don't make excuses of being female- Sanford


Alluding to the fact that in most cases women of today carry the burden of their families and are most times seen as the weaker of the sexes, Ms Stanford said, “Because you are a female, you sometimes expect to be treated differently or you use the female “excuse” to get out of doing a particular task. When you are told to do something you are not in favour of, particularly if told it by a senior female officer, you turn to a male officer with the hope of getting that male officer on your side, causing the female officer to be seen as draconian. This does not bode well for you.”

They were urged to support, encourage, respect and congratulate each other all the time while bearing in mind that there will always be good and bad days.

There are more than 80 female officers in the RVIPF.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×