A retired senior British Police officer has been brought to Bermuda to lead the charge against gangs and gun crime for the next two years.

David Mirfield, 51, who retired as a chief superintendent with West Midlands Police in April, has been named as Bermuda Police Service's newest Assistant Commissioner.

He takes over as Commander of Serious Crime from fellow Assistant Commissioner Paul Wright and is tasked with tackling murder, gang criminality, Police firearms operations and public disorder.

Mr. Mirfield, who arrived on the Island three days ago, told a press conference on Thursday thhat he had many years experience dealing with gang violence in Birmingham and the surrounding urban area, where millions of people live.

One of the more notorious cases he investigated was the gun murder of two teenage girls in the UK's second largest city at New Year 2003.

An anonymous witness was used for the first time in the 2005 trial of four men accused of slaying the girls.

Mr. Mirfield told reporters that getting witnesses to come forward in that case was a challenge and that he knew officers faced similar struggles here.

"What is needed is that those individuals feel safe and they do come forward," he said, adding that witnesses needed to know they would be protected if they gave evidence in court.

"Without somebody giving evidence in court, the likelihood of a conviction is remote," he said.

Describing his success in bringing about "huge reductions" of more than 50 percent in the amount of gang-related crime in the West Midlands, Mr. Mirfield said: "We all know how disabling violent crime, and particularly gang crime, can be for communities.

"What we have found — and I know this is something that Bermuda has been looking at for a number of months, if not longer — is that with the help of communities and good parents it can be tackled.

"Certainly, I'm convinced it can be tackled here."

In the year he left West Midlands Police there were just three gun-related deaths, he said, compared to previous years which saw 20 or 30 such murders.

Mr. Mirfield — who will be sworn-in at a ceremony on Monday — added that he relished the challenge of dealing with Bermuda's rising gang crime, which has seen ten men shot dead in the last 12 months.

"I would like to think it would be something I would face head on," he said. "I think I can make a big difference."

Public Safety Minister Sen. David Burch said Mr. Mirfield, who has a law degree, had a long and distinguished career and edged out two other shortlisted candidates due to his "recent operational experience and investigative successes".

Sen. Burch said the expectation was that a Bermudian already in the force would be identified to replace Mr. Mirfield at the end of his two-year contract.

Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva said Mr. Mirfield would be in charge of the Intelligence Division and specialist investigations involving drugs, firearms, financial crime and crimes against vulnerable people.

Mr. Wright, who has been in charge of Serious Crime for the last 14 months, will be transferred to Operations and will command the Community Policing Division, as well as all support services.