Sixteen men have been shot dead in Bermuda since May 2009 and 12 of those murders remain unsolved by police.That’s why The Royal Gazette today launches a series exploring the tragic gun killings which detectives have so far been unable to solve.Bermuda Police Service, the Ministry of National Security and Crime Stoppers Bermuda have given their backing to the articles, which will run for the next three months.Our hope and theirs is that by highlighting each individual case and publishing in-depth stories on the fatal shootings, those with information which could bring the killers to justice will be compelled to come forward.Those members of the public hold the key to helping the bereaved families of Kenwandee Robinson, Garry Cann, Perry Puckerin, James Lawes, Kimwandae Walker, George Lynch, Freddy Maybury, Colford Ferguson, Jahmiko LeShore, Randy Robinson, David Clarke and Jason Smith find some peace.They can also help make Bermuda a safer place for all by getting the gunmen responsible for the murders off the Island’s streets.We don’t want anyone to forget that many human lives have been lost in the last two years, causing enormous grief and sorrow, and that some of those responsible are still at large.The launch of our series coincides with a new campaign from Crime Stoppers Bermuda, which encourages people not to “bury their heads in the sand” and to disclose any information they have on guns.The dead men, aged between 22 and 40, are all believed to have been gunned down as a result of ongoing gang rivalries, though detectives believe at least four of the victims had no links to gangs or criminality themselves.Police officers investigating the shootings have, in some cases, met with a wall of silence when trying to obtain vital witness testimony.Detective Chief Inspector Nick Pedro, who is leading the murder inquiries, said the community had to be prepared to come forward if they wanted to see killers convicted.“This whole mindset of [not] snitching and talking to the police is one of the biggest challenges that we face in every investigation,” he said.“Really, the challenge for us is to make people understand that we are not the enemy.“We’ve seen in recent cases the benefit of people giving evidence before the courts and, quite often, that is the difference between obtaining conviction and people walking free.“Unfortunately, for Bermuda to be safer, it means that people have to stand up and do the right thing and that does make some people feel uncomfortable but, ultimately, it’s to the benefit of them and everyone around us to give evidence before the courts; the type of evidence that’s going to convict dangerous gunmen.”Det Ch Insp Pedro added that a witness protection scheme was launched by Government on April 1 this year to help those facing an “identified threat” give evidence “in comfort and safety”.“The details of that are available through the police service and the Government,” he added. “We have a variety of measures that we can deploy to ensure people’s safety. Quite often, there isn’t always a threat to people. I appreciate that there is the fear of [violence], but it’s not always the case that people have been threatened or are threatened when they give evidence.”National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief said police and prosecutors had secured three murder convictions already this year thanks to witnesses who’d “courageously given evidence and been supported by the community in doing that”.He acknowledged there was a “fear factor” for some members of the public who have crucial information on the slayings which they are reluctant to share.But he said he believed strong sentences for those convicted of firearm offences would help lift the “pall of fear” from over the community and convince the public to “stand strong and support justice”.Mr Perinchief said he hoped those too afraid to give evidence in court would seriously consider giving an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers, a charity he helped to set up here 15 years ago.“Crime Stoppers is a partnership between the police, the public and the media,” said the former Assistant Police Commissioner. “In actual fact, the media is a very important piece in Crime Stoppers. ”He added of the unsolved killings: “These are not 12 unrelated murders, where we have got 12 totally unconnected perpetrators. My fear that they aren’t solvable and that crime is out of hand is allayed by this fact.“[The police] know within a certain group there lie the perpetrators. Eventually, they will get the missing links to solve all of these murders.”Crime Stoppers administrative director Alex MacDonald said: “When it comes to our community, a lot of people are, unfortunately, aware of what’s going on but they don’t want to get involved.“It may be a family member or a distant cousin but the person who usually makes the call to us is very clearly concerned. They don’t want anyone else to be hurt.”l If you have information that could help solve any murder contact the Serious Crime Unit on 247-1340 or the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline on 800-8477 [TIPS] or visit www.crimestoppers.bm.