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by pltm
(PLTM) - Police officers attached to the traffic unit of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force are faced with several challenges. In its 2015 annual report, the force stated that because of the ongoing staffing problems among other uniform personnel, the Traffic Division was reduced in size and renamed Road Policing, freeing up officers to ensure as many patrol resources are available at times of peak demand in outlying districts.
The traffic department now attends to all serious and fatal accidents, and provides mentoring for major events.
"Unfortunately, despite its specialist role, the department currently lacks the proper equipment to efficiently and effectively discharge its functions, such as cones, temporary signs and a marked police vehicle equipped with a siren," the report stated.
According to the force, in addition, the lack of direct access to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) database leads to lengthy delays in identifying vehicles and owners.
"The smaller size of the team leads to problems in response to accidents, but this is unavoidable given the current vacancies in the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force as a whole."
However, the report noted that in 2015, the department successfully trained two officers to ride the force's motorcycles and obtain a direct link to the DMV's database.
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