The Bermuda Police Service is about to go 'back to basics'.

New Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mike Jackman, is the man responsible for winning over hearts and minds as the Force encourages better communication from the public through an emphasis on Community Policing.

Mr. Jackman's mission is to instill the concept among both residents and the officers themselves.

By encouraging people to come forward with their complaints and information – no matter how minor, Mr. Jackman says this will make the Bermuda Police Service more proactive in fighting crime.

Meanwhile more Police on the streets will create a higher visibility presence in tandem, so increasing public confidence. The difficulty in Bermuda of course, is winning the public's trust in a small community notorious for reluctant witnesses and a 'no snitch' culture. Mr. Jackman also faces a tough task in 'selling' the concept to his own staff, as many Police officers have traditionally seen Community Policing as a "soft option".

"Community Policing is not new. The concept was introduced in 1995, but it is continuing to evolve as new approaches are being introduced around the world," said Mr. Jackman. "The concept focuses on promoting high confidence in the Police and reducing the fear of crime, by being community-focused and using a problem-orientated and partnership approach.

"Some officers see Community Policing as a soft issue but we have to be seen to enforce the laws. It is also about being proactive and preventing things from happening. "It's important to get information from the public and turn it into actionable intelligence, and to identify trends in order to target drugs and anti-social behaviour."

Mr. Jackman said: "We want to engage the community and find out the problems they are having, to sit down with them and identify solutions.

"We all need to work together, as crime and anti-social behaviour is not just a Police problem. So the objective is to increase confidence in the Police and to reduce the fear of crime.

"We need the public to give us information, by improved communication. This will involve holding more meetings with the community, both at a senior management level and also with sergeants and PCs."

Mr. Jackman said this is likely to be done through 'Town Hall' meetings, house to house calls and household surveys. 'Micro-Town Hall meetings' are also planned.

"For example if we're going into St. David's we might have several smaller meetings in different pockets of St. David's," said Mr. Jackman.

In the UK, the concept has resulted in a higher success rate in the fight against crime. "The UK has been redefining its approach to Community Policing and has been using a 'Neighbourhood Policing' concept for the past three years," said Mr. Jackman.

"Those police services fully embracing the concepts, such as Lancashire and Surrey, have enjoyed the most overall success.

"Community Policing is now not being seen as a soft option but an effective option. It leads to better performance," he said.

In 'selling' the concept to his own officers, as Assistant Commissioner for Community Policing Services, Mr. Jackman is holding a series of workshops and more intensive two-day training sessions.

So far, 150 officers have attended the workshops, which outline the Bermuda Police Service's philosophy on Community Policing with its focus on 'Problem-Orientated Policing and Partnerships'.

Mr. Jackman said: "The presentations are to ensure staff are fully aware of what this entails. All members of staff, including support staff, will attend them.

"The mood is generally that people are buying into the new concept, but they want to see consistency, so that this isn't something temporary."

Mr. Jackman added: "As a senior management team we are certainly on the same page."

The two-day training sessions will be attended by the watches (uniform patrol units at Police Stations), CID units, and the Community Action Teams.

Mr. Jackman, 50, was promoted to Assistant Commissioner from his previous role as Divisional Commander for the Community Policing Division.

The father-of-two has an in-depth policing background, having worked in Traffic, Community and Juvenile Services, Narcotics, and at all three Police Stations on the Island.

He arrived in Bermuda from Barbados in 1982 to train as a Police officer, and has since risen through the ranks, from Sergeant to Inspector to Chief Inspector, to head of the Recruiting and Training Department, head of the Narcotics Division, and on to Superintendent and Divisional Commander.

Mr. Jackman lives in Paget with his wife Michelene and two teenage sons, Jeral and Kori.

Off-duty he enjoys exercising and cycling along the Railway Trail, visiting the golf driving range, and is a regular churchgoer.

As the new Assistant Commissioner he is responsible for driving the concept of Community Policing across the Island.

"The concept lets the public know we want to be more aware of their concerns, so that we can work together to find effective solutions," said Mr. Jackman.

"We also know the community is looking for high visibility. In a few weeks we will get another 30 officers, so we expect that will increase the level of visibility in hot spot areas, such as where there are allegations of drug use."

He added: "The rising violence among groups is something we also have to look at, and Community Policing will be at the root of that.

"We need to minimise people from getting involved in anti-social behaviour by engaging them and by using other partners in the community, such as the Mirrors programme."

Mr. Jackman said it was also however, important to diffuse the fear of crime.

"We want to reduce the fear of crime factor by communicating with the public more, and by having a better system of information. We are currently updating our website in order to achieve this," he said.

"Community Policing is about reassuring the public. It is making people feel confident that we as a Police Service are concerned about their needs. "We have some work to do so that people will feel confident that by calling the Police, we will deal with them and the information in a particularly sensitive way.

"But we are getting better at building that public confidence. We've had a lot of positive responses in the past year, particularly the Serious Crime Unit.

"However, there are still some pockets out there, particularly among young people who are reluctant to come forward due to the 'no snitch' culture. This is why communication is important."