Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley compared Governor Daniel Pruce to a “dictator” as tensions between the two men exploded over Mr. Pruce’s decision to remove Jacqueline Vanterpool from the post of acting police commissioner.
Branding the move “disrespectful,” the premier delivered a fiery speech to some 100 demonstrators who gathered to protest Ms. Vanterpool’s treatment outside the Governor’s Office on Monday afternoon.
In a pointed swipe at Mr. Pruce, the premier led the crowd in a loud call-and-response.
“No to dictatorship!” he yelled. “Yes to democracy! Stand up for justice! Say no to disrespect!”
Mr. Pruce announced last Thursday — two days after he held a press conference — that he had recommended to the Police Service Commission that former Gibraltar police commissioner Richard Ullger be appointed interim commissioner from next Tuesday.
Mr. Ullger, he advised, should hold the interim post until the ongoing hiring process for a new commissioner is completed.
“I am seeking the advice of the PoSC in accordance with the Constitution, and the usual processes will be followed, including involving the National Security Council,” Mr. Pruce said.
The governor insisted that the move is in the territory’s best interest and will help maintain the “resilience” of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
At the Monday protest, however, Mr. Wheatley said Ms. Vanterpool, a veteran police officer, had served as acting commissioner with distinction for more than a year.
“Jackie has been disrespected,” he shouted, drawing cheers from the crowd. “Jackie has been disregarded. Jackie has been ignored. Jackie has been passed over. And the people of the Virgin Islands are saying no. No to disrespect. No to dictatorship. No to disregard.’”
He added that Mr. Ullger “knows nothing about the Virgin Islands” and did not even apply for the position.
“So how is it that a daughter of this soil, who grew up here, who came up in the force, who understands the people of the Virgin Islands — how is it that she can just be disregarded like she is nothing? Like she is nobody?” the premier said. “Jackie is somebody. Jackie is one of we.”
The premier also accused the United Kingdom of wanting to take control of customs and immigration, with men “parachuted” in from London to head the agencies.
“Enough is enough,” he said. “I am telling the people of the Virgin Islands: You better stand up; you better pay attention.”
In a brief interview with the Beacon at the event, the premier also expressed concern about the governor’s choice for interim commissioner.
“I saw that persons in the community have done some research and found that he has a questionable background — even though it seems that he was cleared,” Mr. Wheatley said. “But he’s coming here with a dark cloud over his head.”
Local media reports in Gibraltar stated that Mr. Ullger had been investigated by the UK National Crime Agency regarding allegations that he shared sensitive information with the wife of a defendant involved in a legal matter. However, the NCA cleared Mr. Ullger of any wrongdoing in January.
Asked if he saw an undercurrent of racism involved in Ms. Vanterpool’s demotion, the premier said, “We can’t ignore the fact that this territory is majority persons of African descent, and we also cannot ignore the fact that the majority of the persons who have been sent here to head the police are white males. Those things are not coincidences.”
In a Facebook post yesterday, Ms. Vanterpool expressed gratitude for the public support shown to her. She also branded the governor’s decision “unfortunate” and insisted that she is up to the top job.
“My record over the past year speaks clearly for itself,” she wrote.
The premier also addressed the issue during a Friday press conference, calling for constitutional change to remove the governor’s powers over police.
“There is no democratic accountability by the governor for the areas of the Constitution that he controls,” he said, adding that Mr. Pruce can ignore public opinion as long as he has the backing of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“Whether a good job is being done or not being done, the public has no way of holding the governor accountable,” he said. “The governor works for the FCDO and the UK government.”
Another demonstration is planned for tomorrow, with a protest march from the Road Town Police Station to Government House, where organisers plan to present a petition protesting Ms. Vanterpool’s treatment.
Pruce on the radio
On Monday, Mr. Pruce appeared on the Talking Points radio show and defended his controversial decision. He said the move had been “very carefully weighed and carefully considered” as he stressed his constitutional responsibility for the RVIPF.
“When Jackie was first appointed, I certainly didn’t envisage that it would be over a year that she would have to fulfil that role,” he said.
He added that in any complex organisation, such “a long period of acting leadership has an impact on the resilience of that organisation.”
Mr. Pruce denied Ms. Vanterpool had been treated badly.
“This is not a demotion: It’s not a sacking,” he said. “She is returning to her permanent, substantive appointment, where she will still have an enormous contribution to make to the force.”
The governor added that he had recommended Mr. Ullger for the acting post only while the Police Service Commission continues with the process of selecting a permanent commissioner.
“I’ve submitted the nomination and his CV to the Police Service Commission and asked them for advice, as the Constitution rightly requires me to do,” he stated during the broadcast.
Mr. Pruce — who is not required to act on the advice of the commission — added that he expects the new interim acting commissioner to be in place only for a matter of months.
The interim position, he said, will be funded by London.
The governor also played down the allegations previously made against Mr. Ullger in Gibraltar.
“There was a National Crime Agency review which found no supporting evidence at all for the allegations against the then-commissioner of police,” he said, adding, “These allegations were raised by defence lawyers in an unrelated court case. The National Crime Agency review confirmed that Commissioner Ullger neither disclosed information nor acted disreputably.”
Previous conflict
Ms. Vanterpool’s demotion comes after Mr. Pruce issued a stinging directive to her in September instructing her to correct a message she sent to her officers about the controversial police-vetting process — and warning that disciplinary action would follow if she failed to comply.
In a letter obtained by the Beacon, Mr. Pruce accused Ms. Vanterpool of “incorrectly stating” in a message to officers “that the entire vetting process had been suspended” — despite a High Court order that he said paused only the enforcement provisions of the vetting regulations.
But the tension between Ms. Vanterpool and Mr. Pruce goes back further.
Ms. Vanterpool, in fact, previously predicted that she would be passed over for a UK national. In a March interview with the Beacon, she said had applied for the commissioner job after it was advertised in May 2024.
When she was shortlisted and invited for an interview that October, she said, she had high hopes of realising her career-long dream of becoming the VI’s first female police commissioner. That interview, however, never came.
“I then got a call from the governor saying that he’s cancelling the entire process,” Ms. Vanterpool told the Beacon in March. “And he’s going to restart it at some point, but he wants to let me know that I did not fail the process, but when it’s advertised I have to reapply.”
Shortly after alerting Ms. Vanterpool, the governor publicly announced in late October 2024 that he had postponed the hiring process so that the job criteria could be revised to better align with recommendations from the law-enforcement review that was being carried out by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
Ms. Vanterpool was frustrated by the delay, and she told the Beacon in March that she wasn’t planning to reapply.
“It is clear as crystal that they don’t want me as a commissioner sitting in the seat,” she said at the time. “I’ve seen it over and over. It’s clear as crystal they don’t want me. It’s a UK national they want back in the seat as commissioner.”
Nevertheless, after the position was re-advertised the following month, she did reapply.
The Governor’s Office told the Beacon this week that the governor respects citizens’ right to protest.
“He heard part of the demonstration during Monday afternoon and has taken careful note of the views expressed by those who participated,” the office stated, adding, “The governor took his decision in accordance with the Constitution with respect to his duty, under the Police Act, to ensure the effective administration of the [RVIPF].”
The FCDO did not comment.
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