For over a year, one of Bermuda’s most critical defences against firearms, narcotics, and other dangerous contraband has sat idle. The HM Customs and Immigration Dock on Ordinance Island, St. George’s (the primary entry point for yachts clearing customs and immigration) has been out of service since April 2024.
On July 11, 2025, when I questioned Minister of National Security Michael Weeks in the House of Assembly about how long he had known about the issue, he admitted learning of the dock’s unsafe condition in October 2024. I have learned the dock became unusable at least six months earlier. Nearly a year after being made aware of this critical failure, the Minister still has no timeline, no budget details, and no plan for repairs. This is unacceptable.
The negligence runs deeper. No warning signs or safety barriers have been installed to protect the public from this hazardous structure, creating a real risk of injury and a serious threat of civil liability.
Over the past year, gun and drug-related offenses have tripled, many resulting in serious injury or death. Repairing this dock and implementing the necessary safety measures to protect the public must be a priority for the Ministry.
Our Customs and Immigration officers continue to serve with unwavering professionalism and commitment. But we cannot expect them to safeguard Bermuda with broken infrastructure.
The dock’s abandonment reflects a troubling pattern. At Loyal Hill, CCTV cameras designed to deter crime were removed during election season under the guise of “privacy concerns”, only to be quietly reinstalled after the votes were counted.
At Westgate Correctional Facility, conditions continue to deteriorate. Officers are sustaining injuries. Inmates are overdosing. Contraband, including fentanyl and mobile phones, routinely enters the facility. Why hasn’t the Ministry invested in proven solutions like jammers, scanners, and drone netting to prevent this?
This isn’t just negligent, it’s reckless. The pattern is undeniable: optics over outcomes, appearances over action. Political theatre and half-measures are no substitute for the genuine security measures needed to protect Bermudian lives.
I ask again: Is this Government truly protecting its people, or merely protecting its position?
Bermuda deserves transparency. It deserves accountability. And most importantly, it deserves real action to restore and protect the infrastructure that keeps our island safe.
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