The British Government has offered to help fund specialist police support in Bermuda for up to six months as part of efforts to tackle gun violence and gang activity.
Governor Andrew Murdoch confirmed the support in an interview following the fatal shooting of Janae Minors earlier this week. He said the UK is prepared to cover the cost of bringing in experienced investigators, analysts and other officers, along with advanced surveillance equipment such as drones, to strengthen the Bermuda Police Service (BPS).
Mr Murdoch also revealed that Stephen Doughty, the UK Minister for Overseas Territories, will visit Bermuda next week. His trip will include meetings with Premier David Burt and the BPS to discuss crime reduction efforts. In addition, a town hall meeting is being planned to give residents an opportunity to raise concerns and share feedback directly with the Governor, National Security Minister Michael Weeks, and Police Commissioner Darrin Simons.
The Governor acknowledged that the BPS is currently about 44 officers below full strength. Recruitment plans are being accelerated, but overseas assistance is seen as a short-term solution to boost investigative capacity. He added that other measures are under consideration, including stronger witness protection, legislative changes to address those who profit from gang activity, and an increase in the Crime Stoppers reward for information leading to the recovery of firearms to $50,000. An amnesty is also being planned to encourage people to hand in illegal guns and knives.
Mr Murdoch emphasised that policing alone cannot solve the problem, and that community involvement is critical. “Those who have information and are not sharing it need to think very carefully about who they are protecting and why, because it is not serving their community,” he said.
Details of the upcoming town hall meeting will be publicised in the coming days.
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