A claim by the Opposition that less than 10 per cent of boats entering the St George’s docks were being searched is false and flippant, the Minister of National Security said today.

Michael Weeks emphasised that the Department of Customs had maintained border enforcement despite the Immigration Yacht Reporting Dock at Ordnance Island being inoperable.

He added that claims from Robert King, the Shadow Minister of National Security, that its malfunctions had decimated inspection capabilities were unfounded.

Mr Weeks said: “The claim that fewer than 10 per cent of vessels are being searched is simply not true.

“It is a careless statement that misrepresents the operational reality and unfairly undermines the work of customs officers who continue to carry out their duties in difficult circumstances.”

He added: “No one has said the situation at the dock is ideal.

“That is precisely why the Government has already made clear that the facility is being replaced.

“The design work is well advanced and this is not an issue that is being ignored or hidden from the public.”

Mr King shared the concern in an op-ed last Monday in The Royal Gazette.

He claimed that the dock, which had been out of commission for about two years, forced customs officers to borrow vessels from other departments to carry out their duties.

Mr King added that this, combined with a lack of clarity around the national cyberattack in September 2023 and a rise in cyber scams hitting residents, represented a “pattern of failure”.

This came after he and Mr Weeks clashed in the House of Assembly over the release of the joint select committee report on the cyberattacks.

The discussion came during the announcement of the inaugural National Cybersecurity Risk Assessment, which would collect risk intelligence from the public and private sectors to update the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Mr Weeks reasserted today that Mr King’s remarks on the topic conflated unrelated problems when it came to cybersecurity.

He said the risk assessment was not dependent on the joint select committee process because the two were completely separate.

Minister Weeks added: “Mr King either does not understand the difference between these two processes or he is choosing to blur them for political effect.”

He said: “The National Cybersecurity Risk Assessment is already under way.

“It is a serious national exercise designed to guide the next phase of Bermuda’s cybersecurity planning and it does not need to wait on a parliamentary committee to begin doing its job.”

Mr Weeks further said: “Government is acting now because the country cannot afford delay.

“Cybersecurity is not an issue for slogans and headlines. It requires structure, urgency and informed action, and that is exactly what we are doing.”

Mr Weeks emphasised that, while there were operational challenges in the island’s security system, the Government had been addressing them.

He added that he frequently invited Mr King to meet and discuss national security matters, including ministerial developments and potential concerns.

“Those invitations have not been taken up,” Mr Weeks said.

He added: “My door has been open to Mr King and will continue to be.

“If his interest is genuinely in the national interest and not in scoring points, he knows how to reach me.

“I remain prepared to meet, to listen and to deal with these serious issues collaboratively.

“It is easy to write an opinion piece from the outside and throw around dramatic claims — it is harder to engage with the facts, speak to the people doing the work and deal honestly with the progress that is being made.

“Bermudians deserve better than political commentary dressed up as public concern.”