BVI cop back on beat as Baines takes reins in probe

David Baines, Cayman Islands Commissioner of Police (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

(CNS): One of five police officers in the British Virgin Islands who was suspended from his job as part of a major police corruption probe in the UK overseas territory is back on the beat shortly after Cayman’s police commissioner was given oversight of the enquiry. 

The local press has stated that Detective Marlon Primo was reinstated to the police force last Thursday but it is not clear if Baines had anything to do with that decision as he has made no comment about the BVI cop’s return to work.

“As a result of a decision made by the Director of Public Prosecutions, one of the officers in relation to the Operation Lucan corruption allegation probe has been reinstated to full police duties,” Police Information Officer Diane Drayton confirmed in a statement Thursday.

The details of the internal police enquiry remain secret but The BVI Beacon reported that the officer’s solicitor had stated that his client had been accused of “giving out information”.

At least four local officers remain on forced leave as part of the probe, which other media has reported relates to drug offences and corrupt officers taking and even stealing cash from dealers. Meanwhile, four officers from the United Kingdom were selected to undertake the independent inquiry into the allegations, which began in November. Codenamed “Operation Lucan”, the British officers were originally reporting to the islands’ own police commissioner, David Morris, and its director of public prosecutions, Wayne Rajbansie.

However, earlier this month David Baines, the Cayman Islands police commissioner, was appointed as the new head of the probe to ensure independence. Baines took the post against the backdrop of a resurgence in gang-related crime and ongoing concerns about police management in this country.

The authorities here have confirmed that Baines will not stay in BVI, despite his appointment as gold command in the investigation, as he is said to be providing “strategic oversight and direction” rather than a hands-on role. Despite claims that the post will not affect his role here, Baines has already spent several days in the eastern Caribbean territory.