National security minister Michael Weeks’s response to the my questions about the proportion of boats entering St George’s being searched is not only defensive, but also deeply misleading and avoids the central issue: accountability for prolonged failures in Bermuda’s national security infrastructure.

The minister claims that concerns about the inoperable Customs and Immigration dock are “false” and “flippant.”

On the December 12, 2025 sitting of the House of Assembly, Mr Weeks answered questions about the HM Customs and Immigration dock (Yacht Reporting Centre) on Ordnance Island, St George’s and informed the House of Assembly of the following:

• That the projected cost of the dock repairs was $350,000

• That the works would be carried out by the Department of Works & Engineering and that the cost for repairs would be allocated from W&E’s budget

• The planning number PCON 0040-25

• That works should commence in April 2026

These are the facts, and for reference, the December 12, 2025, House of Assembly Hansard will confirm Mr Weeks’s statements regarding the dock repairs.

For clarification, the code PCON is a pre-consultation application which was submitted on September 24, 2025 and no repair works could legally begin until a building permit was received. On November 3, 2025, approval to seek a building permit (through the prescribed application process) was granted, however, no such application was made and to date there had been no further activity on the file.

On March 11, 2026, during the 2026-27 budget debates the Minister of Public Works and Environment confirmed that the Ministry of Public Works and Environment would not be repairing the yacht reporting centre and that there was no budget allocation for the dock repairs in his budget.

The facility has now been non-operational for approximately two years and customs officers have been forced to improvise operational capacity, including borrowing vessels to protect our borders from guns, drugs and other dangerous contraband, despite there being an increase in gun violence.

The dock is crucial to our border security infrastructure and as such a two-year delay for repairs, no defined plan and no budget allocation demonstrates a serious failure of leadership and oversight. Mr Weeks suggests that I am attempting to score political points and that I am also suggesting that the situation is more serious than it actually is.

The two fundamental questions are: what do you believe and who do you believe? The facts speak for themselves.

The minister further accuses me of conflating issues. That is incorrect.

What I have identified is a pattern.

A major cyberattack occurred on September 20, 2023. A report was completed on November 7,2023, and the Information Commissioner, Gitanjali Gutierrez, gave the Cabinet Secretary, Major Marc Telemaque, until March 11, 2025, to provide The Royal Gazette with the decision whether to make the findings of the report public.

At that time, opposition senator, now MP Douglas De Couto, expressed concerns about “delaying tactics and lack of clarity” and to date, there has been silence — no full public accounting of causes, vulnerabilities or corrective measures have been provided despite there being reported increases in cyberfraud targeting seniors and vulnerable residents.

These are not isolated incidents. They point to a systemic failure to communicate, to act decisively, and to protect Bermudians.

The minister suggests I have declined invitations to meet. Let me be clear: national security is not managed through private conversations — it is upheld through transparency, results and accountability to Parliament and the people.

Furthermore, the Minister of National Security and the Minister of Public Works and Environment are both members of the Cabinet. If the Minister of National Security is unwilling to discuss and clarify with Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, that his ministry is not responsible for repairing the dock and Mr Weeks is also unwilling to confirm and clarify with the same minister what the process regarding the Department of Planning permit process is, then what value is there in us having a chat about the dock repairs?

If the minister’s position is that concerns should be raised quietly rather than publicly scrutinised, then he fundamentally misunderstands the role of the Opposition and the principle of democratic process. This issue is no longer about one dock or one statement.

It is about repeated delays, contradictory statements, lack of transparency and failure to deliver on critical national security commitments.

Bermudians deserve a minister who treats national security with urgency, precision and accountability, not one who dismisses legitimate concerns and shifts blame when challenged.

Given the record, it is entirely reasonable to question whether Mr Weeks has demonstrated the competence, judgment and seriousness required for this role. Bermuda’s security is too important for anything less.

• Robert King is Shadow Minister of National Security and One Bermuda Alliance MP for Smith’s North (Constituency 10)