Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Speaker Willock fires back @ ex-cop Mathews over RVIPF's recruitment practices

Speaker Willock fires back @ ex-cop Mathews over RVIPF's recruitment practices

Speaker of the Virgin Islands (VI) House of Assembly (HoA) Hon Julian Willock has fired back at ex-Commissioner of Police, Michael B. Matthews who has called ‘pure fabrication’ statements made by the Speaker on the State of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) during his June 18, 2021, appearance.

Ex-CoP Matthews in a June 24, 2021, letter to the Commission made specific reference to concerns raised by the Speaker.

While Ec-CoP Michael B. Matthews has denied the concerns raised by the Speaker, the current Commissioner of Police, Mr Mark Collins in his position statement to the CoI had confirmed the Speaker’s assertions.


Ex-CoP Matthews denies assertions


"Immediately after hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Commissioner of Police hired a number of foreign nationals as police officers without doing the appropriate background checks whatsoever. In fact, it is extremely likely that he would have hired persons that were well-known criminals elsewhere in the region,” Hon Willock said.

The former ToP cop, Matthews; however, called the statement by Hon Willock a fabrication and false, stating, “to my knowledge, the Honourable Speaker was not part of the Government of the BVI at that time, nor present in any meetings where security decisions were agreed, including decisions to seek assistance from external police forces.”

However, while Mr Matthews has denied the claims, the current Commissioner of Police, Mr Mark Collins in his position statement to the CoI had confirmed the Speaker’s assertions.

During his CoI appearance on Wednesday, June 22, 2021, CoP Collins raised a number of concerns about the force, including concerns about the RVIPF’s recruitment practices.

"The current system of recruiting does not delve deep or far enough into the background checks of potential candidates for the RVIPF,” he said.

Current CoP has confirmed 'what I said in my report'- Hon Willock


Hon Willock, firing back at ex-cop Matthews, said the statements of the new Commissioner Collins only confirms his assertion about the current state of recruitment in the RVIPF.

“So here it is the current Commissioner of Police, confirming what I said in my report.”

Hon Willock further urged the Ex-Commissioner Matthews to consult with the current Commissioner before jumping on the media and making assertions.

According to the Speaker, “I was joking with a friend of mine … sometimes you have a job and you leave the job and you're a failure, you try and rewrite history. But I’m not suggesting that is the case with my good friend Michael Matthews,” he said.

Force's recruitment process limited - CoP Collins


Mr Collins further indicated that at present the RVIPF does not go far enough with regards to background checks for officers.

“There are no social media or financial checks made and limited checks are made in relation to previous employer and criminal records. It is my view that I would need to recruit a vetting/recruitment officer to deal with this matter."

CoP Collins indicated that he intends to carry out a complete review of the force’s practices.

This he says will include a performance management regime to hold people accountable, in addition to a more thorough vetting process.

There have long been concerns of corruption in the RVIPF, which has eroded public confidence. Over several years, UK Commissioners have pledged to weed out corrupt officers; however, little progress is ever made.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×