Dear Sir,

I have been writing for years about the importance of the Government prioritising and providing for our essential public services — public infrastructure including roads, bridges, waste facilities, housing and social services, etc.

There is one essential service that may not immediately come to mind, but right now it is front and centre in the consciousness of the majority of Bermudians. I’m talking about internal security; ie, the police department, whose primary function is to enforce our laws and maintain public safety.

The police department falls under the remit of the Governor and is funded by the Government (the taxpayer) and I think it is clear that this service is struggling to keep up with the grip of serious crime which Bermuda has been facing for more than two decades. While the root causes of our crime are complex, Bermudians have the right to expect a strong, visible and effective police force.

So how did we get here? Why have we come so far down the road of gangs, gun violence and lawlessness?

On the heels of the recent murders in Hamilton, there was a convening of a Governor’s Council by His Excellency the Governor, Andrew Murdoch, which will see ongoing discussions between the Government and the Governor prioritising policing and the issue of gun violence in Bermuda.

Mr Murdoch told us that “we cannot grow numb” to the unacceptable gun violence in our communities and he confirmed that the Premier and the Minister of National Security have agreed to provide the police force with all the necessary resources that they need, and that they will explore a number of potential solutions including bringing in specialist officers from Britain and new equipment to prevent the importation of firearms.

Also mentioned was the possibility of legislative changes that could assist the Department of Public Prosecutions in bringing offenders to justice. David Burt’s recent fervent public announcement was forceful and demanded that we must all play a part in stamping out this grip of crime, which a small number of criminals seem to have a hold on.

I agree, and this strong, assertive leadership is imperative at this time. However, this move by the Governor in collaboration with the Government is long overdue, as this “numbness” of inaction has seen many lives and families tragically ripped apart in its wake.

Section 70 of the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968 mentions the Governor's Council, which allows for high-level discussions and serves to consider matters for which the Governor is responsible — in this case, our internal security. Note Item 6: “The Governor, acting in his discretion, may summon a meeting of the Council whenever he considers it desirable to do so and shall summon such a meeting whenever the Premier requests him to do so.”

Why has it taken so long for the Premier to request a Governor’s Council? It apparently is within his authority to do so. We have seen years of steadily rising violent crime in Bermuda, which is more than enough evidence that we need to take a hard look at how our internal security and public safety are being managed, and which requires full and frank discussions with the Governor.

As a short-term solution, I believe that we need an influx of additional police officers, another version of “Operation Cleansweep”, which if you remember, occurred in 1997 under the United Bermuda Party government . With the endorsement of our the Governor, Lord Waddington, a task force was assembled with undercover officers brought in from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to target crime and drug dealing, which was becoming increasingly prevalent around the island.

While there was initial success in taking such criminals off our streets, for reasons not made clear to the public, that operation was abruptly halted by the UBP government and police commissioner Colin Coxall was forced to resign before serving out his three-year contract. Lord Waddington said he had no part in the commissioner's resignation. Political interference was thought by many to have played a large part in the commissioner’s sudden exit, and if that is indeed the case, this is even more reason for maintaining the Governor's role of presiding over a police force that is truly independent from undue government/political influence.

I am encouraged by the Premier and the Governor’s collaboration on this critical issue facing our island and I hope the Governor’s Council will result in some immediate measures that at the very minimum will have a positive “reset” effect on public safety confidence. I also look forward to seeing details of the longer-term strategies.

We are a small town of maybe 60,000 people and most of us are good, hard-working people. As the Premier said himself just recently, there is only a small group of criminals that is responsible for making up the majority of our violent-crime statistics. He referred to them as “community terrorists”.

Conversely, I would add that there is a large group of Bermudians who do not feel safe in our island home, and you can be sure that restoring law and order and their public safety within these 21 square miles has been high on their priority list for many years.

While the police force are essential for our public safety, it is worth noting that our social issues are serious and will not be remedied ultimately by a new criminal task force, more government funding or different leadership.

The causes are generational and solutions must come from within the community itself. The people must play a part in saving themselves.

I extend my sincere condolences to all the families of the victims of this senseless violence, both recent and past.

BEVERLEY CONNELL

Pembroke