Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

That Was Always The Plan-Police Replace Premier’s Private Bodyguards

That Was Always The Plan-Police Replace Premier’s Private Bodyguards

The Government is no longer using private ‘bodyguard service’ to protect Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon. Andrew Fahie.
The Territory's leader is now being protected by members of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF). This comes weeks after RVIPF officers were trained to deliver similar services to the BVI.

Premier Fahie who confirmed the move, told BVI Platinum News that this was always the intention to use the private bodyguards for six months, but they would replaced by members of the RVIPF as soon as officers were trained in this specialized area.

“The police were always going to provide the security to the Office of the Premier. However, the C.O.P. (Mr Michael Matthews) stated from the inception that his officers needed training in this specialized area. It was agreed that a Group of his officers would be selected and sent away to be trained,” the Premier explained to BVI Platinum News.

He said that, it was agreed that until the officers were trained then a private security company with such specialized capabilities would be contracted.

“That was done with the blessings of the C.O.P. As soon as the C.O.P. confirmed that the selected officers were now trained abroad, then the contract of the competent private security was closed. All the stages were always known from the inception by all stakeholders. The trained officers of the RVIPF are now in place and performing admirably,” Premier Fahie said.

Eight officers from the Armed Response Unit of the RVIPF successfully completed a six-week Close Protection Training Course conducted by the Bermuda Police Force from July to December 2019.

The first cohort that included four officers from the RVIPF, attended the Course from July to August 2019. They were also the very first to do so from the British Virgin Islands. The second training session was conducted from September to October 2019 and four more officers attended.

Premier Fahie also addressed the notion of the private security firm being contracted for a five-year period.

“The calculation of putting it to 5 Years have no base. Some Opposition Members said that time frame knowing full well that it was malicious, especially seeing that we only do 4 Year terms. The contract was always for 6 months and it only was allowed until the selected RVIPF Officers were trained,” he told BVI Platinum News.

Several efforts to contact the Top Cop for a comment proved futile.

At the time of the completion of the training, Matthews stated that it is important that the RVIPF stays at the forefront of the latest capabilities developed for policing at an international level.

Premier Fahie had indicated in the House of Assembly that he received three death threats since taking office, and as such, had to contract bodyguards for his personal security.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×