Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva - We are encouraged by the huge dividends being seen as a result of the current enforcement work and community engagement being conducted by the Bermuda Police Service. More offenders are being brought to justice; more information is forthcoming from the public; the community’s confidence in its police service is strengthening and more synergy is developing across Government, public and private sectors engaged in tackling the violence. The increased work of the Bermuda Police Service is, by its very nature, resource intensive and I have indicated since December that we cannot maintain this level of response without a price. I have made some recommendations to His Excellency the Governor and Minister Burch with some immediate ways to increase our capacity in the short term with overseas assistance, while we continue to follow our longer term plan of building up our local resources.

Following the Minister’s press conference today, I am pleased to confirm that Government House and Government have endorsed my request and we now have a green light to explore several options that include:

• Seminars with FBI gang agents (currently underway) to provide learning opportunities for our front line staff from well-experienced field agents;
• Secondments of gang investigators, intelligence analysts and other support staff from US and UK forces – including the New York Police Department - who are experiencing similar problems to Bermuda and can provide additional experience from lessons learned.

These plans are not yet confirmed so it would be premature to provide any more detail. As soon as we have firmed up the availability of these agencies, and the timelines, we will share this information with the public.

It is important to note that these measures are very much an immediate “boots on the ground” approach to maintaining our heightened presence on the streets and our vigorous investigation efforts, and to provide some relief to the hard working men and women of the Bermuda Police Service. We are entering a paradigm shift in the way Bermuda tackles crime and gangs. We are working towards a more joined-up approach that includes even closer relationships with our partners in the DPPs office, Court Services, Customs, Immigration, Probation Services and the Prisons. And all of this work is being done against the backdrop of a committed Government and Bermuda community that is coming together to stop the violence.