Public Safety Minister David Burch yesterday denied pushing the nation to the brink of a constitutional crisis by asking the Governor to relinquish his Police powers.

In a tense and heated Senate hearing, Senator Burch defended his comments, claiming he had only wanted to make Governor Sir John Vereker more answerable to the people of Bermuda.

Referring to the Police’s approval rating of 34 percent, the Minister for Public Safety complained he was “regularly pilloried for crime in this country” yet had no control over operational policing.

He therefore wanted to redirect criticism at the Governor.

His comments were not so much “a grab for power” he said, but came from “a genuine desire to combat and address crime”.

During last week’s Senate, Sen. Burch called on the Governor to relinquish his control over the Police. He said that under Section 62 of the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968, although the Governor was “solely responsible” for the Police he was also able to delegate responsibility to the Premier or a Minister.

Despite his role as Minister for Public Safety, responsible for Police recruitment, Sen. Burch said he was frustrated at not being able to get more officers on the streets.

“Our Constitution contemplates this delegation of responsibilities and it is now time for the Governor to do the right thing in the interests of what is best for Bermuda,” he told the Senate.

Just five days earlier, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown had threatened to “suspend further business” with Sir John over a story published in the Mid Ocean News into alleged corruption at Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC).

In a television address, Dr. Brown warned Sir John to investigate the leak or face a revolt by Government.

Sen. Burch’s comments only served to add to the stand-off, with the international Press reporting that Bermuda was in the grip of a constitutional crisis. The UK’s Daily Mail ran the headline ‘Britain’s oldest colony in crisis’ while The Times reported ‘Governor faces revolt on paradise isle’.

The row abated on Thursday after a joint statement by the Premier and the Governor, stating their commitment to work together. The statement said many powers, including setting the Police budget, had already been delegated to the Government.

Yesterday, Sen. Burch referred to the events of the past fortnight as: “We have no constitutional crisis and we didn’t ever have one”.

The Minister told the Senate he had only asked “whether certain responsibilities could be delegated”.

“It wasn’t to cover up the BHC,” he said. “It wasn’t any other than to exercise my responsibility as Minister, to try to address the 34 percent approval rate the Bermuda Police Service currently endures.

“So, silly me, I read the rule book and asked and he (the Governor) said ‘no’.

“That’s the end of the matter in the terms of getting that responsibility. It’s not trying to do anything greater than to address the abysmal rating of the Bermuda Police. And I will come up with other ways of doing this,” he said.

Expressing his frustration at a lack of operational powers, Sen. Burch said that in one street residents had received parking tickets at 5a.m. while activity by drug dealers went on nearby.

“I am regularly reminded in this community that I do not have responsibility for Police operations,” he said.

“I was quite irate, as were many of the others, to hear of parking tickets at five in the morning in Glebe Road. How can you find policemen to ticket people in Glebe Road at 5a.m. but not to police the drug dealers further up the road?

“We’ve been subject the last three weeks to a Senator on the other side who continues to ask what we do about police, while there are certain restrictions. Don’t tell me that I am not regularly reminded ‘you are not responsible for police operations’, yet I am regularly pilloried for crime in this country.”

Sen. Burch said: “So, for me I had to do something about it and I took the appropriate steps. It is to remind them (residents) there is someone else (the Governor) who has responsibility for Police operations and I would like them to direct some of their enquiries to this individual.

“It is nothing to do with a grab for power or taking away the guy responsible, none of that. It’s a genuine desire to combat and address crime that affects people’s lives.

“I don’t care who’s in charge as long as there’s action to decide this, rather than ticketing people in Glebe Road at five in the morning.

“I would just like to see us address some of these serious crimes in this country that seem to be running amok.”

Referring to the issue of Police recruitment, Sen. Burch said he would “come up with ways to improve this, even though I’m not responsible for operational policing”.