Flax-Charles Backs Vanterpool Amid Removal
At a town hall on November 13, Minister Shereen D. Flax-Charles urged unity in support of Acting Commissioner Jacqueline E. Vanterpool after Governor Daniel Pruce moved to revert her to Deputy CoP. Governor Pruce said on ZBVI 780 AM he felt duty-bound to remove Ms Vanterpool and has nominated former Gibraltar police chief Richard Ullger as a potential interim Acting CoP.
Flax-Charles used a town hall on November 13 to publicly rally behind Acting Commissioner of Police Jacqueline E. Vanterpool and to question whether gender played a role in the governor’s decision to remove her from the acting post. "United we stand, divided we fall. We have to unite for this common cause," Mrs Flax-Charles told attendees during a week of activities organised in response to Governor Daniel Pruce’s move to revert Ms Vanterpool to her substantive post as Deputy Commissioner.
She added she was "very put off" by what she described as unequal treatment of women, asking, "Sometimes I’m thinking if it was a man, would this have happened?" She concluded her remarks to Commissioner Vanterpool: "we’ve got your back." The governor, speaking on ZBVI 780 AM on November 10, said developments made him "duty‑bound to exercise his judgment" to remove Ms Vanterpool as Acting CoP and to initiate the process to bring in an interim Acting CoP.
While he said "whoever that may be" had yet to be confirmed, he did nominate Richard Ullger, the former Commissioner of Police in Gibraltar, as a candidate for the interim role. Mrs Flax-Charles told the town hall she and others have noticed tangible improvements since Ms Vanterpool took on the acting role, including what she described as a rapid reduction in firearms on the streets. "You’ve taken more guns off the street in a short period of time than anyone else, and we support you a million per cent," she said, urging Virgin Islanders to work together "to change the trajectory of the Virgin Islands." The exchange highlights a tense moment between the elected local leadership and the governor’s office over senior police leadership — an issue that carries direct implications for community safety and public confidence in policing.
For residents, questions now centre on how the change will affect ongoing crime‑reduction efforts and whether an interim appointment will alter current policing strategies. Governor Pruce’s nomination of Mr Ullger begins a process that will be watched closely by the public, police officers and elected representatives alike.
In the coming days, BVI residents can expect further statements, possible public demonstrations of support, and continued calls from local leaders for unity as the territory navigates the leadership transition in its police force.
Primary source: VINO