No increase in violence at events
The community was shocked by the violence that marred the Cup Match holiday weekend — including two separate stabbings — but the Bermuda Police Service said there was no evidence of an increase in violence at large-scale events.
While the incidences of violence should not be ignored, “the overall weekend from a public safety perspective was satisfactory”, police said.
Two men were stabbed in the men’s bathrooms at Somerset Cricket Club on the last day of Cup Match, while another altercation took place in the water at the Non-Mariners Race, resulting in one man being stabbed and a woman being hit by a projectile. All four were taken to hospital.
During the previous holiday weekend, National Heroes Day in June, cricketer Fiqre Crockwell was shot dead after a concert at BAA car park.
Assistant commissioner Antoine Daniels provided some perspective on a holiday period that took in numerous large-scale events and concerts, attracting a combined number of upwards of 20,000 revellers.
He told The Royal Gazette: “There is no evidence or data to support the notion that there is an increase in violence or antisocial behaviour occurring at large-scale public events.
“Although extremely unfortunate and unnecessary when any forms of violent acts are committed, the reality is that commonly the level of tensions between members of opposing groups attending these social events is often elevated because of varying factors, such as location, consumption of alcohol and/or drugs, rivalry and various other triggers.
“When we consider that there were in the region of 15 major events during the weeklong Cup Match period, with upwards of 4,000 people attending Horseshoe Bay on Thursday alone, an additional 6,000 or more persons attending the two-day Cup Match Classic, more than 4,000 persons in attendance at the two reggae concerts held at Par-la-Ville Car Park, combined with major attendances at the popular Non-Mariners racing event and Soca v Reggae concert in Dockyard, although the incidents of violence cannot be ignored or dismissed, the overall weekend from a public safety perspective was satisfactory.”
The service said it would continue to “learn and grow from policing large-scale public events”, and was reviewing operational processes and looking to develop strategies for improving and enhancing how officers police these types of events.
Mr Daniels said: “We are regularly meeting with some of our community partners to establish more efficient and effective methods in an effort to further enhance information sharing and public safety at these events although, as previously stated, the few incidents that did result in physical injury to persons attending were unfortunate they were isolated when reviewing the circumstances.”
The Minister for National Security, Jeff Baron, told The Royal Gazette this week: “Regardless of where it happens, the Ministry of National Security will continue its Group Violence Intervention Strategy and look at best practices on how we are policing and managing large-scale public events, whether it be Heroes Weekend [or] Cup Match.”
There are investigations into the incidences of violence and the police said it would be inappropriate to comment further.
However, Mr Daniels did say: “Two men have been arrested, one for each incident, and it is anticipated that a court appearance for the suspect in police custody for Sunday’s stabbing incident will be appearing in court imminently.”
•Witnesses or anyone who saw, heard or knows anything is urged to contact police on 295-0011 or the Confidential Crime Stoppers hotline on 800-8477.