UK injects $1.7 million to boost police, security
More than $1.7 million of funds from the UK have been poured into Bermuda over the past year to assist in areas such as policing, defence and security, the Governor has said.
Andrew Murdoch sat down with The Royal Gazette at Government House ahead of the first anniversary of his swearing-in ceremony to reflect on some of the achievements and developments of the past year that fall under his remit.
He said a team of UK specialist officers arrived on the island earlier this month to provide investigative and analytical expertise to help the Bermuda Police Service to tackle violent crime.
In addition to funding the manpower and equipment at a cost of just over $1 million, the UK has also provided supplemental funding for areas such as security to the tune of $420,000 while an additional $300,000 for the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coastguard was received, including for equipment with underwater search capabilities.
Speaking to the UK specialist deployment, Mr Murdoch said: “They are being integrated in support of the BPS. They are experienced officers from various different forces and units in the UK. Essentially, that is to help to rapidly improve the capacity of the BPS to respond to all the challenges facing it.
“It is a two-way street. They also have to look at the way things are done here.
“As well as working on a particular caseload, they will be able to show their capability more generally by sharing their expertise and experience with BPS officers that will last a lot longer than their presence here.”
Mr Murdoch said in a previous interview with the Gazette that UK money being made available could cover the deployment for six months.
The funds would also cover equipment to assist the BPS with tackling crime as well as the coastguard in the maritime space including drones, which he said are now being procured.
“These are being tested by the coastguard for search and rescue ability — they have infrared heat detection and can also be used for law enforcement.
“Part of this is looking at all range of equipment to make sure the capability is of use and has the most impact.
“Whether that is drones, other behind-the-scenes tools or more analytical tools, they are being procured to make the work of the officers more efficient.”
Mr Murdoch said there was additional UK funding available in the security space and that Bermuda received the extra $420,000 support for the regiment and police.
“That should be relatively quick,” he said.
“We are always looking for ways to identify where expertise in the UK can be of assistance and responding to that by bringing it in on an ad hoc basis.
“We are listening to the needs of the experts here and seeing what is available from different pots in the UK.”
Andrew Murdoch arrived in Bermuda on January 21, 2025 and was sworn in the following day at a ceremony on the grounds of the Cabinet Office.
He said his first year had been a busy one as he has been intent on “building connections”.
He said: “If you are going to represent the people of Bermuda and the communities, in my view, you have to be part of that community and understand how this place ticks.
“My year has been quite busy, I have been meeting those who I should meet like the police, regiment, ministers, the Premier … that is really important. But the other big part of the community is non-profits. I have met a large number of those, often in their spaces, to understand what they do and how they work, as well as the business communities.”
He said a highlight of the year was the Duchess of Gloucester’s visit in October.
“It was an opportunity for me to showcase the island and we had problems narrowing down what she could see because there is so much to see here,” he said.
“She had a glimpse of the charities, the events of the regiment’s 60th anniversary with Gombey dancing on Government House grounds, which was spectacular.”
He said he was looking forward to moving from the temporary residence in Paget to the Government House at Langton Hill in Pembroke which is set to happen at the end of March.
Mr Murdoch said work was being done to get boots on the ground at the BPS which has experienced recruitment challenges in recent years.
He said 15 new officers are to be recruited in this financial year but with high levels of attrition in the service, recruitment will need to be built upon and maintained.
He said: “We had three Governor’s Council meetings last year in response to the gang and gun violence, and there were a number of discussion points including options for improving the policing presence.
“An important part to that is community policing which requires officers to be out on the beat. I think that is exactly where the BPS wants to get to which requires increased recruitment through additional funding. That is for the Government.
“There was a recognition of the importance of moving in that direction; deploying existing officers efficiently but also increasing community engagement, which I think is absolutely critical.
“An increase to achieve the established number of 420 officers, about a ten per cent increase from where it is now, will make policing feel very different.”
Mr Murdoch, who served in the Royal Navy for two decades, said a Security and Defence Review announced in the last Throne Speech is still under way. It was established to look at the threats facing Bermuda and assess whether the capability, capacity, structures and equipment are fit for purpose.
“We have draft terms of reference for that which are being worked up in very close collaboration with the Government of Bermuda,” he said.
“We are awaiting feedback from Cabinet colleagues on that. They will envisage a panel to conduct the review.
“The expert panel will need time to take the direction they see fit in early 2026, reporting in this year.”
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