Police will mount a zero-tolerance crackdown on crime until Bermuda returns to normality after the Christmas shootings.

That was the message from senior officers today as they revealed details of Operation Safer Streets — a bid to restore public confidence after the violence.

Since January 5, dozens of officers have been rolling through the streets in convoys of vehicles, day and night. They are backed up by dog handlers and a 24-hour roster of armed officers. Anyone acting suspiciously is being stopped and searched, with vehicles also subjected to random checks.

The move is a direct response to the violence that unfolded in the early hours of Christmas Day when Jakai Harford, 24, was shot in the shoulder in the Camp Hill area of Southampton. Around 9 p.m. on Boxing Day Aquil Richardson, 30, was murdered and Lavar Smith, 25, shot in the legs — again in Camp Hill.

Few details about the shootings have been made public by the Police. They have made several arrests but are yet to charge anyone.

Superintendent Michael Jackman acknowledged the attacks have left ordinary Bermudians badly shaken. He hopes the “take back the streets” campaign will break the silence within the community and crack the crimes.

“We want to reassure the public, decrease their fear right now and also increase the confidence that they have in the Police. We want them to know that we are responding effectively and doing something to address the firearms and return the Island to normalcy. We want to ensure that these shootings don’t become the norm,” he told The Royal Gazette.

See tomorrow's Royal Gazette for the full story, reaction and what the Police Commissioner has to say about the campaign .