Local police officer, Sgt. No 240 Oneal Bakker who was recently called to the Bar of England and Whales on 25th March 2021 by the Honorable Society of Grays Inn was yesterday 12th July 2021 called to the BVI Bar by the Learned Director of Public Prosecution, (‘DPP’) Mrs. Tiffany Scatliffe-Esprit. His call was second by Attorney at Law, Loraine Larose-Charles before Justice Vicki Ann Ellis.
Sgt. Bakker’s success was neither ‘a walk in the park’ nor ‘fly by night’. Rather, it is a testament of his self motivation, discipline, perseverance and sacrifice. After approximately 15 years since the last occurrence, Sgt. Bakker became the fourth barrister in the history the RVIPF to have been called to the BVI Bar. His predecessors include:
- Retired Commissioner of Police Mr. Vernan E. Malone.
- Current DPP of St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Valston Graham.
- Retired Inspector of Police, Mr. Kendol Mills.
When asked to describe his journey to success he reasoned “It was hard fought and bitter sweet. Whenever I felt like quitting and trust me there were many of times I almost did. I would always reflect on my humble beginning, my struggles, my progress, where I came from, my aspirations and the countless times God came true for me. The fact that others were looking on from the sidelines, some inspired while others conspired against me, openly rejoicing whenever I hit an obstacle, wishing that I would fail. This motivated me to persevere, in spite of the odds and here I am today. By no means is this the end of my journey. To the contrary, I am just getting started!”
Sgt. Bakker expressed sincerest gratitude to all who played a role in his success including his family, his spiritual leader, Pastor Franky Rathanum, the RVIPF, former DPP Ms. Kim Hollis, QC, DPP Mrs. Tiffany Scatliffe-Esprit, LLM, and the Minister of Education, Dr. Natalio Wheatley among others.
He also urged local officers to invest in themselves rather than reduce themselves to someone else’s opinion of them or perception of their worth!
“In order for us to deliver proper service to the BVI community we need to invest in ourselves. Despite the naysayers, we must never allow anyone to define us or limit our capabilities based on their perception of us. We owe it to ourselves to be the best expression of ourselves. If we are to truly put people first which is the RVIPF’s #1 strategic priority, then we ought to put ourselves first by investing in ourselves. Only then will we regain the trust and confidence of our communities and bridge the lacuna that currently exists between the police and the public.”
Apart from being a police officer and now Barrister in England and Wales and the British Virgin Islands, Sgt. Bakker is also a Lecturer at the Tower of Faith School of Ministries, BVI, a certified ICA Compliance professional and a US registered pilot.
His hobbies include reading, researching, teaching, cricket and flying etc.
Contrary to popular opinion, that ranks within the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (‘RVIPF’) are corrupt, aren’t suitably qualified nor possess the required skill set to get the job done. Sgt. Bakker continues to push the limits of the proverbial sealing in an effort to dismiss such negative claims. Sgt. Bakker is a distinguish local Police Officer with 14 and a half years of experience and a proven track record in all aspects of policing.
He enlisted in the RVIPF on 2nd February 2007 and has worked in all divisions of the force (territorial, crime and operations). Following his initial training he worked at RTPS, VGPS and EEPS, all within territorial division where he performed the role of the first responder, community policing officer and routine patrol duties etc. He also conducted criminal and traffic accident investigations, including the 2012 crash landing of a Commercial aircraft at the Taddy Bay International Airport, Virgin Gorda.
Later in 2012, he was promoted to Detective Constable within the Major Incident Team (‘MIT’) where he investigated a number of serious organized crimes and critical incidents, such as homicides, rape, drug trafficking offences, firearms related crimes etc and has given evidence in all courts within the jurisdiction. He also worked closely with international agencies in extradition cases and cold case review of some of the territories unsolved murders.
In 2018, he was promoted to Detective Sergeant within the MCT. During his tenure in that unit, he successfully completed his Bachelor of Laws degree (‘LLB’ Honors’) via distance learning.
Following that promotion, Sgt. Bakker was attached to the Training Unit within the operations Unit, as a senior instructor at the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Training Academy (‘Police training school’) before proceeding to the United Kingdom on study leave in pursuit of his Bar Professional Training Course (‘BPTC’) and Master of Laws degree (‘LLM’) in September of 2019.
Whilst posted at the Training Unit he:
- Assisted in the revision of RVIPF’s training curriculums for new recruits and regular officers.
- Delivered multiple lectures and training seminars within the RVIPF such as recruit training, probationer’s training, senior constable’s training etc.
- Trained Cohort 3 which initially comprised of 18 Police Constables and 2 Auxiliary Officers. On completion, the entire cohort graduated as confirmed Police Constables.
- Delivered training programs and lectures to external agencies such as Immigration Department, Her Majesty’s Customs and Prison.
On return from study leave, he worked within the Prosecutions Unit, EEPS and the Beat and Patrol as a front line supervisor during the current pandemic. Based on his recent achievements, he has been appointed a new role within the RVIPF’ as in house Legal Adviser and Policy Officer, posted at Police Headquarters effective 15th July 2021.