A positive approach

June 4, 2009

Dear Sir,

My wife and I have just returned home from Bermuda after experiencing one of the most enjoyable vacations we have had in years. The beauty of your Island is truly matched by the hospitality of your citizens and it is for that reason we are now planning a return trip. During our vacation I did read with interest the trend in crime your lovely Island is experiencing due to the emergence of gang activity that seems to be embraced by a very small percentage of young adults. Although I have served as Chief of Police for the City of Harrisburg, Chief of Operations for the UN International Police in Bosnia and now serve as Superintendent of Police for the PA State Capitol Police. I do not want to be one of those "outsiders" that has an answer for everything. I can assure you, based on my experience with the juvenile gang culture in Harrisburg and with organised gangs in Eastern Europe, this problem will only escalate if left unattended.

Your determination to attack this issue with community and church support coupled with a pro-active law enforcement initiative is a positive approach in addressing this issue, but please remember law enforcement alone cannot be successful without this partnership. Both the Harrisburg City Police and the PA Capitol Police have been awarded Internationally Accreditation and it is my understanding your police agency is striving towards that very same goal. Please remember this process does not happen overnight. Only with the full support of city and state government along with a very dedicated team of police officers and civilian personnel were we able to accomplish this task within a span of two years. Wishing everyone in Bermuda all the very best.

RICHARD S. SHAFFER

Superintendent Pennsylvania Capitol Police and Safety

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Ameliorate the shock

June 12, 2009

Dear Sir,

There have been numerous stories regarding the fall-off in tourists, and some about remedies; mostly Government spending money on favoured private sector promotion companies. Having been a tourist (and still longing to find a position which would allow me to live there), I thought about what would a simple, inexpensive (in the sense of very low overhead cost) incentive be? The NCL ship I sailed on provided vouchers for discounts at certain restaurants, mostly near the Hamilton dock, if I recall correctly. That was it.

Why not take that to its logical conclusion? Instead of business specific vouchers, why not a currency exchange voucher? Eleven Bermuda dollars for 10 American (or some other percentage). This would be specific to cruise ship entry, since, let's face it, such tourists need prodding to spend. When I visited, it was clear that Priceline and the like had been used to fill the vessel. These were down at heel visitors; not I of course, I should hasten to mention. I just hate to fly. There would need be some rules about where and when the exchange happens. Certainly, 3,000 people inundating Butterfield Bank on Wednesday afternoon to change back Bermuda for American currency is to be avoided.

One thing that was clear to me during my visit was that the "simplicity" of even exchange of American and Bermuda dollars in commerce was not necessarily a benefit, given the large difference in cost of living. Normal international exchange rate differences exist to level out such differences. An across the board reduction, however implemented (but clearly Government sponsored), would ameliorate the sticker shock. Rather than millions of dollars to promotion companies, put the money in the hands of tourists. They will spend it in the broader Bermuda economy. Which in turn gets spent again in multiples by Bermudians. Economists call this the multiplier effect. This is why supply side economics never works, and spreading the wealth does; when the goal is overall economic stimulus.

ROBERT YOUNG

Connecticut, USA