This newspaper on Friday called on Bermuda’s authorities to stop talking and to start acting to get the island’s gang violence under control.

It’s only fair to recognise when they do just that.

In that vein, Andrew Murdoch’s announcement that specialist officers from Britain will be brought to the island, and that the cost for six months will be covered by the British Government, is welcome news.

While Bermuda can afford to cover the cost of these officers itself, the funding offer means there can be no excuses for not getting the officers here as quickly as possible. Claims that the secondments need to wait for funding in the Budget or other logistical issues should not be possible now.

That Bermuda needs specialist help is clear, but the secondments are temporary and should not deter the police from accelerating its overseas recruiting process. There is no room for stopgap measures without long term solutions.

The other steps unveiled by the Governor in an interview are also timely.

Among the most important is an upcoming visit by Stephen Doughty, the Minister of State responsible for Overseas Territories, who will hear directly from the Government, the police and others about Bermuda’s security needs and the problems they face.

An upcoming review will detail more specifically what the needs are, but as Mr Murdoch said, the review itself should not be an excuse for inaction. Steps taken now should be incorporated into it rather than decisions being put on hold pending the review.

Mr Murdoch was also right to say that the police and others already have extensive powers and that these should be used for before any consideration is given to using emergency powers. Indeed, the use of stop-and-search last weekend demonstrated what can and should be done.

The police also deserve credit for making an arrest in connection with the murder of Janae Minors on Court Street last week and with an earlier shooting in Devonshire. While it is not possible under reporting restrictions to discuss the details of that arrest, it is a positive step.

Legislation for further protection of witnesses and informants, and for bolstering proceeds-of-crime penalties, are also welcome.

Many of these powers already exist, but if they need to be improved, they should be treated urgently and put before Parliament in the coming weeks. This is especially true if it is a matter of amending existing policy rather than drawing up entirely new legislation.

In a similar vein, it was good to see a cross-party consensus emerging over the need to change the island’s approach to coroners inquests.

First, Scott Pearman, the shadow justice minister, supported many of the points made in an editorial in this newspaper, which itself was based on an in-depth report by freelance journalist Sam Strangeways.

Mr Pearman said a bipartisan parliamentary committee should review the law that has been used as the justification for holding only four public inquests in the past decade, when 981 sudden deaths were reported in the same timespan.

He also suggested families could be given the ability to compel an inquest when there was an unresolved issue about the deceased’s death, and that coroners could be required to give reasons in public when they opted not to hold one.

In the wake of Mr Pearman’s remarks, David Burt, the Premier, said on Friday he would discuss changes to the legislation with Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General, and invited the shadow justice minister to write to him formally.

He praised Mr Pearman for raising the issue in the House of Assembly and said the issue should be advanced.

Bermuda’s politicians are often criticised when they attack each other, so it is important to credit them when they find common ground and pledge to work together.