Douglas is new officer on the beat in Hamilton
The Bermuda Police Service unveiled their new constable for the City of Hamilton yesterday.
Christopher Douglas will work with the City Hall administration to foster a sense of security.
Mr Douglas, who has served in the force for seven years, said that increased police visibility would be his main priority.
He added that a prominent police presence would discourage antisocial behaviour.
He said: “I know that we kind of dropped the ball as far as visibility within the last few months.
“If there’s not a visible presence, there tends to be a lot of antisocial behaviour, so we’ll have to be more out and about.”
Mr Douglas will also maintain regular contact with businesses in the area to build trust and find out the problems they want tackled.
He will also work with organisations such as the Salvation Army and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute to combat vagrancy and drug abuse.
Mr Douglas said: “A lot of these guys are either drug abusers or have mental health issues, so we just have to work with them and see what can be done to help them.
He added: “Obviously we can’t just police our way out of that issue; we’re going to have to work with the community.
“That’s what I like about my new team — they’re very focused on preventive policing instead of being reactionary.”
Mr Douglas said that police would also need better communication with the public to cut down on crime and appealed to businesses to report drug use and other illegal behaviour.
Mr Douglas said: “I’m looking forward to just being more present within the city as far as visibility goes and seeing what the corporation has in store for me.”