The leaders of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands signed two crime-fighting memorandums of agreement Thursday on fingerprinting and ballistics, in the first meeting of the Inter Virgin Islands Council since Gov. John deJongh Jr. took office in 2007.
The agreements formalize the partnership between the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and the V.I. Police Department and will enable shared cost savings, training of personnel in both territories, shared intelligence, and other partnership efforts, deJongh said in a statement.
The agreements were part of a far-reaching meeting of the Inter Virgin Islands Council, which first met 60 years ago as the Inter Virgin Islands Conference. The council is made up of several standing committees including law enforcement, disaster preparedness, cultural preservation, women’s and children’s affairs, tourism, customs and immigration, and others.
DeJongh headed the territory’s delegation, with Premier Ralph T. O’Neal the top official from the BVI government. Top-ranking officials from across both administrations attended the meeting.
“I am very pleased by the amount of cooperation that we continue to receive from the premier on numerous issues, which have enabled both a rewarding and productive relationship,” deJongh said in the statement.
O’Neal said the relationship and ongoing dialogue between the territories signaled the unity of both governments and its people.
“I am pleased to welcome the USVI delegation, our good neighbors, and to have this important dialogue on issues that would make these two Virgin Islands a better place for all of us to enjoy,” he said. “With our cooperative willingness to work together, we can achieve much more.”
Other law enforcement issues discussed included firearms trafficking, intelligence sharing, and joint training initiatives. Additionally, the teams from both territories discussed disaster preparedness including early warning and siren systems, hurricane and tsunami preparedness, waste management issues, cooperative tourism efforts, fisheries management and other issues.
