The recent dawn raid by police at the West End of the Island, which yielded numerous elements linked with underworld crime and resulted in several arrests, may have in fact revealed something more sinister that should be deeply disturbing to the entire Bermudian community.

In the never-ending struggle by the Island to face up to ugly facts about crime, and the full impact on community life, it seems frighteningly clear that there is a quiet war between those who benefit from underworld activity. That includes illegal drugs, and often gunplay, and those who even know of people involved, but choose silence, rather than risk possible repercussions.

Bermuda is still a truly beautiful place to live, and most of us are proud of that fact, but in a fast-changing world, especially in crime, there are dark shadows of violent criminals who seem fearless in pulling the trigger of a gun, without any concern as to what damage the deadly metal can cause, even to innocent people.

For instance, in Chicago over the Fourth of July holiday, a seven-year-old boy watching fireworks had his life cut short by gunfire, described by police as gang-war activity.

They said the target was the child’s father, a known gang leader. Outrage spread like wildfire, with some saying that without drastic changes in gun laws, there will be no let-up in this type of tragedy.

That weekend ten people fell victim to the gun.

Police in Bermuda are aware that undertaking such daring raids aimed at breaking the back of underworld crime carries risk, since the potential for gunplay is ever present. However, careful planning is always involved to avoid that possibility. This is why public support is so vital, even though some people are reluctant to become involved, knowing that in our small society, sometimes trust becomes a casualty.

Despite this, it has been encouraging to note that police reported increased public support in recent times; that was key in bringing some criminals to justice before the courts. The recent shooting at a popular sports club in the eastern part of the Island, leaving one man critically injured, is a grim reminder that amid apparent tranquility, a cold-blooded criminal can create a wave of fear and mistrust by an act that is contrary to every value most Bermudians consider essential for living with decency and respect. It cuts deep into the very core of our value structure, and the last thing we need is to feel helpless, a plight so many share in parts of Chicago.

It is a time for all of our leaders, regardless of political persuasion or religious affiliation, to step up to the plate with one voice in calling for islandwide support for our police service, who have the dangerous job of confronting a new type of criminal who is a threat to our way of life.

The relationship between the police and the community appears to have improved in recent years, which is also important because police need community support and the community needs police.

Whenever there is an ugly incident, usually the first people called are the police, and they respond aware that safety and security are priorities. Most Bermudians sleep peacefully at night, mainly because they know police are patrolling the Island, even though they cannot be everywhere at the same time. No police department anywhere is perfect, and some fall short at times in maintaining proper standards.

Police chiefs are always on the lookout for this, since credibility can be badly damaged and is not easy to repair. We remember well recent incidents in America when the police came under fire for what many felt were gross violations of expected standards, and the nation experienced protests and demonstrations at a level never seen before. With racial undertones involved, police there are still struggling to rebuild community trust.

Here in Bermuda, we take pride in most of our neighbourhoods being relatively safe, and that is the Bermuda way of life we want. However, we certainly would be taking the ostrich position if we choose to ignore dangers simply because they are unpleasant to talk about.

Reflecting on that Chicago gun tragedy, the governor there was furious that the father of the seven-year-old gun victim, refused to co-operate with police in the hunt for his son’s killer. Some felt that, within the gang culture, such a reaction was common.

Gang activity in Bermuda remains a concern for both the community and police, and there are no signs things will change overnight.

Meanwhile, more support from all sections of the community could go a long way in helping to make our Island not only a wonderful place to live, but an even better place to call home.