Increased patrolling of trouble spots is paying off, according to new Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva.

For years MPs and community leaders have complained that high-risk areas only seem to get properly Policed in the immediate aftermath of a crime wave.

But Mr. DeSilva, who took over as Bermuda's Commissioner last month, said hot-spots had been hit hard since last May — and the new approach was working.

He told The Royal Gazette: "We have seen a notable increase in community confidence and community intelligence as a direct consequence of our increased engagement activities."

This paper revealed recently that Bermuda is the third most heavily Policed nation in the world with 29 Police and support staff for every square mile of territory.

Asked why so few people had been charged for recent shootings the Police Commissioner said that can only happen once a prima facie case had been established.

Mr. DeSilva, who was speaking before the murder of Perry Puckerin on Sunday, added: "Evidence comes in two forms — forensic and eyewitness testimony.

"We cannot lay charges if we don't have sufficient elements of at least one of these types of evidence."

One former Police officer criticised senior Police officers for avoiding football games and running rush hour dragnets penalising mostly law-abiding commuters.

But Mr. DeSilva argued laws could not be selectively enforced. He explained: "We do both — along with lots of other tactics. And we are measured in our response to rush hour periods.

"We don't operate on 'selective' increased Police presence — we enforce all laws, including traffic.

"The value of attending rush hour is the sheer volume of people and vehicles that can be screened at the same time. But we are careful not to over-do it and inconvenience to the public is always kept to a minimum."

And Mr. DeSilva refuted criticisms that senior Police officers were inexperienced and needed overseas secondments to boost their capabilities.

He said: "Our senior staff are well trained both locally and overseas and the top seven officers have nearly 200 years of combined Policing experience."

Among other criticisms raised by four former officers who spoke to The Royal Gazette during a series of articles looking at policing on the Island, was the fact that officers were allowed part-time jobs — leading one senior former Policeman to claim that officers were tired on the job.

But Mr. DeSilva said: "This matter is a negotiated condition of employment between the Bermuda Police Association and the Bermuda Government.

"In the absence of any real study into the question, I'm not sure how there can be any validity to the criticism."

And on queries over discipline in the ranks, given the number of road accidents involving Police, Mr. DeSilva said: "I'm not following how discipline is being linked to Police collisions.

"Is the suggestion being made that collisions occur because officers are ill-disciplined? I do not support that concept in the slightest.

"For the record, Police collisions in 2009 are at their lowest number since 2005. This was already reported in October by the Police Complaints Authority."