He'll have to explain himself

May 27, 2009

Dear Sir,

I have been coming to your beautiful island for over 25 years. I have enjoyed your love and hospitality each and every time and I can say I have a very best friend and many special friends because of my visits. Over the years I have seen changes, some I like and some I don't care for, but change is inevitable. The scariest change is in Bermuda driving. I have been renting scooters for 40-plus visits and have never feared for my safety. I can't say that now. Passing on the right and cutting back in very close, passing on the left and cutting back in close, cars following too close to other vehicles … all very distressing.

Now I can relate first-hand to witnessing an accident and someone leaving the scene. On rainy May 13, a box van pulled up on a driveway on Harbour Road and stopped with the bonnet slightly on the road. Acceptable. There was a scooter about 20 feet from that driveway and the scooter went to go around the bonnet because he had stopped. The roads were wet but it should have been OK.

The amazing thing is the box truck then proceeded on to Harbour Road, forcing the scooter driver to either hit the truck or go down. Thinking the lesser of two evils was to go down, she did. Since I was immediately behind the scooter, I drove ahead a little to block traffic that would come around the bend and went back to help. The truck kept going! When all was said and done, and the ambulance took my best friend to the hospital, I was comforted by the concern of some people who stopped to see if they could help and a woman who provided a tarp for cover from the rain.

I was infuriated at the truck that drove away either oblivious to the fact he caused this woman to have surgery on one of her two broken legs, or outraged that he just didn't care. This truck driver needs to show some integrity and remorse and contact Officer Homer of the Hamilton Police. If he chooses not to, he will be dealt with at a much higher level if you know what I mean!

SUE BEHRLE

Lansdowne, Pennsylvania

Where's Bermuda's Bratton?

May 27, 2009

Dear Sir,

In 1985 I arrived kicking and screaming from my beloved Boston to live in Manhattan with my former husband. In many respects I was a provincial hayseed thrown into the mix of one of the most exciting cities in the world. As the late writer George Higgins once put it, New York is the varsity league. It was also one of the most crime ridden places too. In my first three months of living in Manhattan, I had my car stolen in front of my building, (the week before I had to wake a homeless man who had broken into my car and spent the night), witnessed a mugging and made the dangerous mistake of interrupting a horrific beating in front of the Whitney Museum. When the Police arrived and arrested the assailant he was wearing a pair of brass knuckles! You can imagine the lecture I received from New York's finest.

But probably the most dramatic and frightening incident that I witness was the murder, ordered by John Gotti, of mob boss Paul Castellano. I was on my way home from work, when a homeless man (actually, an undercover detective) pushed me up against the side of a building and screamed in my ear to look out. Paul Castellano, emerging from one of his favourite restaurants, was shot down in broad daylight in front of the undercover team that had been trailing him. I was 30 feet away. I was shaken for weeks and wondered what fresh hell I was living in.

In 1994, former Chief of Police of Boston, William Bratton, (not Melvin as reported in your editorial of May 27, 2009) was hired by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to tackle what seem to many, to be the insurmountable level of dangerous and petty crime in New York City. Your editorial is correct that Commissioner Bratton succeeded in reversing crime by applying his "broken window" theory.

Bratton's theory was that authority's inability to stop the incidence of vandalism and petty crime only gave licence to criminals to commit even more crime and escalate the violence. Broken windows, graffiti everywhere (Does anyone remember how the trains were covered from end to end?) and the infamous "squeegee men" at every street light, were part of our daily existence. Not only was it dangerous to be out late at night, even driving your car in the middle of the day was risky in many neighbourhoods. As soon as one braked for a traffic light, the driver would be surrounded by a band of men demanding money while they "cleaned" your windshield. It was Gotham at its worse and every citizen felt hostage and helpless by the lack of law and order.

Sound familiar? The parallel to New York City in the late seventies until the mid eighties is unmistakable. It is time for Bermuda to find its own William Bratton before it is too late. The "broken window" theory doesn't really help the broken hearts of every family who loses a loved one to violent crime in Bermuda but it might be a start. Look around, you will see the signs. Petty crime is rampant in Bermuda. Locals and tourists are routinely mugged, cars and bikes are stolen and homes and hotel rooms are burgled. What is happening to Bermuda?

Have you noticed the many men on the Island with coke nails? Is this an affectation of Bermuda men or are we not supposed to notice the implication that someone is doing drugs and therefore contributing to the high level of drug related crime? How is it that the Police do not have any meaningful presence in Bermuda? Can it really be that an island with approximately 65,000 residents (Reality check: approximately 60,000 people worked in the World Trade Center) are not able to put their collective head on the pillow each night?

The Government and the Governor know what to do. Act now and bring in a dedicated task force of new law enforcers who have experience with gang and drug related crimes and are not limited by their own fear of retribution from the criminal element in the community. Police officers in Bermuda are no doubt dedicated and committed to stopping crime but the size of the island by definition limits their experience. It is also unfair for members of the Bermuda Police Service to risk their lives when citizens will not come forward as witnesses. William Bratton was only in New York for two years but the impact he made was tremendous.

A few months after arriving in Manhattan, I took my first trip to Bermuda. It wasn't just the pink sand and lush greenery that captivated me, it was all of you. Bermuda was safe and the level of respect accorded to one another was so impressive. Later, when my two daughters were born, I made the decision that we would spend summers and school holidays in Bermuda, away from the excesses of Manhattan and the Hamptons. Whenever teachers would remark that my daughters seemed unspoilt and polite, I would brag that it was your kind and steady influence and solid values that helped shaped their characters. I still believe in Bermuda but did I ever imagine that I would worry more about my family's safety in Bermuda than in New York? The answer is no. I urge all Bermudians not to waste another second, demand action and be a part of the solution. Now.

ELAINE C. MURRAY

New York City