Governor recommends former Gibraltar police chief as
Governor Daniel Pruce has recommended a former Gibraltar police commissioner to serve as Interim Acting Commissioner of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, and the Police Service Commission is currently deliberating the nomination. JTV identified the candidate as Richard Alger and reported that the UK’s National Crime Agency reviewed and found no evidence of wrongdoing; the formal appointment remains subject to PSC and National Security Council approvals and is expected to take effect as Jacqueline Vanterpool returns to her substantive role on 18 November.
Governor Daniel Pruce has recommended a former commissioner from Gibraltar to serve as Interim Acting Commissioner of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF), the Office of the Governor said in earlier statements and local outlets have since reported further details. The governor announced the move as he ended Jacqueline Vanterpool’s period as Acting Commissioner and confirmed she will resume her substantive post as Deputy Commissioner on 18 November.
BVI News reported Pruce thanked Vanterpool for her service, saying her time as acting head had been 'demanding and often pressurised', and that the change followed the Virgin Islands Constitution and the Police Act after consultation with the Police Service Commission (PSC). Initial reporting described the nominee as an experienced former head of the Gibraltar police.
Subsequent reporting by JTV on 10 November identified the recommended candidate as Richard Alger, a former Commissioner of Police in Gibraltar, and said the PSC is currently deliberating Governor Pruce’s recommendation. JTV reported the governor discussed the nomination during his appearance on the radio programme Talking Points.
According to JTV, Pruce framed the interim recommendation as a strategic response to 'evolving and increasingly complex challenges' facing the RVIPF and said appointing an interim leader with the candidate’s experience is intended to strengthen resilience and operational effectiveness across the force.
The governor told the programme he awaits the formal advice of the Police Service Commission before a final appointment is made and acknowledged the PSC could choose another candidate depending on its deliberations. JTV also reported renewed public scrutiny over the candidate’s background after media accounts linked his name to past allegations in Gibraltar; Pruce told the programme that the UK National Crime Agency reviewed the matter and found no evidence of wrongdoing, and therefore concluded there was no discreditable conduct.
Those comments were included in the JTV coverage. The governor has said the interim appointment would provide continuity while the recruitment process for a permanent Commissioner continues. BVI News earlier reported that the United Kingdom will fund the interim arrangement to ease RVIPF resourcing pressures; that funding will allow the force to retain three Deputy Commissioners simultaneously rather than two, which Pruce described as enhancing senior resilience and operational capacity during the transition.
Any interim appointment remains subject to the Police Service Commission’s advice and National Security Council approval, as required by constitutional procedures. If the PSC endorses the governor’s pick, the interim role is expected to be temporary—lasting only a few months—while the process to select a permanent Commissioner proceeds.
Governor Pruce reiterated his constitutional duty to ensure the safety and security of the Virgin Islands and asked residents and stakeholders to support the RVIPF as it moves through this period of leadership transition, commending officers across the force for their dedication.
Primary source: JTV