Governance
BIOT Administration
The Crown is the sovereign of both the UK and the Overseas Territories and together they form one undivided realm. BIOT is constitutionally independent from the UK Government and the BIOT Administration is responsible for the governance of the Territory. It is not part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (or any other UK Government Department), but as a small Administration, does draw on support from the FCDO for external diplomatic relations and administrative matters like IT and office space. While, like all OTs, BIOTA works closely with the UK Government on many issues, when decisions are made relating to the governance of the Territory, they are made by the Administration answering to the Commissioner (and the Crown). BIOTA has its own budget – an ordinance relating to this is published in the Gazette every year.
Though BIOTA staff spend a lot of time in the Territory, it is formally administered from the UK, working closely with our team on the ground in Diego Garcia. At the head of BIOTA is a Commissioner who is appointed by HM The King on the advice of UK Ministers. The day-to-day running of the Territory is carried out by an Administrator and their team.
The Commissioner‘s role is to govern the Territory as effective head of both executive and legislative matters. This involves the passing of any necessary legislation and the appointing of certain officers to enable the Territory to be properly governed, including the Commissioner’s Representative in the Territory (the “Brit Rep”).
The Administrator (who is also the Director of Fisheries) oversees the day-to-day running of the Territory. Their role includes oversight of BIOTA’s annual budget, enforcement of the Marine Protected Area, conservation work, working closely with legal advisers on the drafting of legislation and oversight of the law enforcement, customs and immigration functions. The Administrator deputises for the Commissioner when they are unavailable.
The Commissioner and Administrator are supported by a BIOTA team of around 40 people. The core BIOTA team is UK-based and includes officials seconded to BIOTA from a range of UK Government Departments. At the moment that includes the FCDO, DEFRA, Natural England, HMRC, DfT and the Home Office. They bring experience and deep expertise to the governance of BIOT, specialising in areas such as commercial issues, environmental management, law enforcement, and safeguarding. They are further supported by, amongst others, a General Counsel (effectively the BIOT Attorney General), Chief Scientific Adviser, experts in health security and an independent telecoms regulator.
In the Territory itself, the civilian Administration is represented by a Royal Navy Commander, who is appointed by the Commissioner as the Commissioner’s Representative (referred to as the “Brit Rep”). This person is also the Officer Commanding the British Forces in Diego Garcia (CBF). The Commissioner’s Representative is the daily point of contact between BIOTA and the US on Diego Garcia. They are also authorised to carry out a number of civilian functions in addition to being the Brit Rep, including as the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and Principal Immigration Officer.
The Administration has frequent contact with the Commissioner’s Representative and visits the territory at regular intervals. Discussions include updates on issues relating to the day-to-day running of the Territory, including cooperation with US counterparts on major projects, planning visits to the Territory by visiting scientists and officials, and discussing the impacts of emerging regional and global issues on Territory.
BIOTA has a Customs and Immigration team and a BIOT Police Force. They are based in Diego Garcia but operate Territory-wide.
The Customs and Immigration Officers carry out similar duties to Border Force Officers in the UK but follow the particular laws of BIOT, keeping in mind that access to the Territory is very restricted. That includes ensuring people are not bringing prohibited items into the Territory and checking that persons are entitled to enter the Territory.
The BIOT Police has a civilian Chief of Police,10 Royal Overseas Police Officers (ROPOs) and a drug detection dog. The ROPOs are military police officers undertaking a civilian police role: on arrival they are appointed as serving members of the civilian BIOT Police. They maintain BIOT law and order, undertake community liaison work and investigate criminal cases.
| His Majesty’s Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Nishi Dholakia
Nishi was appointed HM Commissioner in December 2024; before that he had been Deputy Commissioner since October 2023. He was appointed from HM Diplomatic Service, and has had postings in Brussels, Washington, and China. In the latter, he was joint head of the HM Government China Network Medical Supplies Task Force, which procured £1 billion (later £4 billion) of goods to help save the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nishi also had a placement with KPMG International earlier in his career, as part of the Civil Service ‘High Potential Secondment Scheme’. |
| Administrator of the British Indian Ocean Territory, Mike Vidler
Mike was appointed Administrator in January 2025. A member of HM Diplomatic Service, he has been a civil servant for 17 years, primarily with the FCDO but also on secondment to the Cabinet Office. He has served overseas in Peru (economic diplomacy) and Brussels (foreign policy issues relating to Asia, the Americas and Overseas Territories). In the UK he has worked on a range of Middle East issues and led the FCDO’s India team. His career has had a strong national security and geopolitical focus. He has worked extensively with the military. |
| Chief of the BIOT Police, Jon Hext
Jon was appointed as the BIOT Chief of Police in March 2024, having served as a UK Police Officer within the Avon & Somerset Constabulary for over 30 years. He spent the majority of his service within the Specialist Operations Department, working in Roads Policing, Public Order Command and as a Counter Terrorism Security Co-ordinator. He was also an active member within the International Police Response Cadre, working closely alongside of national and international partners globally in support of crisis situations. Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the Covid Pandemic in 2020 saw him deploy alongside UK military partners from the Joint Forces Headquarters in support of UK overseas interests. |
Justice
BIOT has a comprehensive body of laws. While there are some similarities, these are different from the laws of England and Wales and have been written with specific context of BIOT in mind. All BIOT laws are published in the Gazette which is shared via this website. BIOT has a complete, independent and open criminal justice system.
The Principal Legal Adviser (PLA) is Head of the Territory’s Prosecution Service and oversees all public prosecutions and the implementation of the criminal law in BIOT. Acting as the Head of the Profession for the Prosecutor(s), the PLA advises and trains them and the Chief of the BIOT Police in the bringing of public prosecutions. The PLA also advises the Administration and General Counsel where legislative action is necessary to remedy deficiencies in BIOT laws.
There are four levels of BIOT Courts: the Magistrate’s Court, the Supreme Court (akin to the UK High Court), the Court of Appeal (akin to the UK Court of Appeal) and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (akin to the UK Supreme Court). All BIOT Courts are completely independent of the BIOT Administration (which is in turn independent from the UK Government). Judges are appointed following recommendations from an independent panel which scrutinise applications facilitated by the UK’s Judicial Appointment’s Commission. The BIOT Administration supports the principle of open justice: court hearings are ordinarily public and documents referred to in court can usually be released in the same way that they would be in the UK courts. Judgments are often published on this website.
There is also a BIOT Coroner, who is called upon in the event of a death in the Territory.
Environment
Given the global importance of the Chagos Archipelago for its biodiversity, the BIOTA has a strong focus on these issues. This includes overseeing continuous monitoring and surveillance of the BIOT Exclusive Economic Zone, facilitated by a full-time patrol vessel with a Senior Fisheries Protection Officer to prevent and intercept illegal fishing. BIOTA also supports and encourages an extensive programme of scientific research and conservation projects.
More information about our environment work under the Environment Section.