Officers swap Wales for British Virgin Islands mission

Dyfed-Powys Police officers Sergeant Owen Dillon, PC Julian Clegg and Patrick Dewaine, spent four weeks supporting police and helping people rebuild their lives on Tortola Island, which was hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria in September.

The officers were joined by colleagues from forces across the UK for the third and final deployment to the British Virgin Islands.

The group came together at the military air trooping centre in South Cerney and flew out to the main Island of Tortola via Barbados.

The overnight stays in military camps in South Cerney and Barbados gave the officers the opportunity to get to know each other.

Only three of the island’s seven police stations were operational, but still heavily damaged, due to the impact of the hurricanes.

Most of the smaller departments had been disbanded, with almost all officers back on the beat.

Sergeant Dillon said: “The local officers were physically and mentally tired, but showed remarkable commitment to continue to show up for work each day, leaving behind damaged houses and driving to work in damaged cars.

“Many of them have had to send their children away to live in other countries, which is just unimaginable.”

The officers worked alongside local police, getting to understand the laws and grip the difficulties of seeing justice done without a functional court house on the island following the hurricanes.

Sergeant Dillon added: “The court house was totally destroyed so there were no sessions running. This made dealing with prisoners difficult. During the deployment there was a case involving high level drug traffickers and a suspected murderer, so a judge had to be flown in to hold special court sittings.

“We worked with local officers and firearms officers from the Cayman Islands and Bermuda to provide security at court and back to the prison.”

Sergeant Dillon and the other offices said despite the devastating scenes, it was a fantastic experience to be involved in.

He added: "It took time to break down barriers and to gain the trust of the local officers and I was very proud of the way my team integrated with the local officers.

"It was a fantastic experience and a rewarding deployment.”