Mon, 2016-09-12

Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva - In presenting the crime statistics for the first half of 2016, I wanted to take this opportunity to pay particular attention to the area of gun and gang violence. This area has been covered by the news media and commented on in social media on a frequent basis lately, and there are elements of anxiety and concern that are obviously attached to the dialogue. I would like to share two messages today:

Firstly, the BPS is doing everything that we can to advance the investigation of serious crimes. As of 30th June, there had been 2 fatal shootings and 3 shooting injuries. At this point in the third quarter of 2016, those numbers have risen to 3 fatal shootings and 7 injuries. Two non-firearm homicides bring the total number of homicides this year to 5. We are still appealing for information about the murder of Jason Mello on 19th August, as well as for information about the discovery of the body of Jevon Daniels in May. Two men were arrested in connection with the murder of Patrick Dill in May and another two men were arrested in connection with the murder of Fiqre Crockwell in June, and these two cases are under active investigation. One man has been charged with the manslaughter of Travis Lowe on 26th July.

The crime report shows that Bermuda is still a safe place to live for most people. For the 4th consecutive year total crime remains below 1,000 incidents per quarter.

But the spectre of gun and gang violence is troubling and persistent. It creates a fear of crime that affects everyone and casts a shadow over our otherwise peaceful island.

While it is important to continue to tackle these violent crimes head-on from a police angle, it is equally important that the community is fully engaged in tackling the conditions that lie beyond the influence of law enforcement. We have said before that Bermuda cannot arrest itself out of this problem. Since 2010 we have had more than 50 convictions for murder, attempted murder and firearms offences with life sentences being handed down, and minimum imprisonment terms of 25 years. Yet we have more than a dozen cases still lined up before the Courts and the gang members coming to our attention now are newer, and younger. Bermuda must work to break the cycle at the front end, because it is too late by the time the police become involved at the back.

That brings me to my second message: there is a tremendous amount of good work being done in and by the community, behind the scenes. We would like to do our part in putting a focus on that good work, and keeping it in the foreground. Public dialogue, in our view, should primarily be aimed at solving problems and implementing solutions. Holding people accountable is one thing, but destructive criticism is another thing entirely. Rather than find someone to blame for the gang problem, we would like to have dialogue about what can be done to break the cycle of violence and reduce the tensions in the community that are increased by gang and gun crime.

We have invited four community partners to join us in a Community Engagement Meeting to be held between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Tuesday 13th September at the New Testament Church, Heritage Worship Centre on Dundonald Street, Pembroke. I will be joined by: Martha Dismont from the Family Centre, Kimberley Jackson from Mirrors, Gina Spence from The Champions Programme, and David Lovell from Men on a Mission. Minister of National Security, Senator Jeffrey Baron, and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Mr. Walter Roban, will also be in the audience. We will be talking about the things that have been working so far, and exploring what more can be done. This will be a solutions-driven conversation that will appeal to everyone who wants to make a real difference in tackling gang violence and making Bermuda safer. The meeting is open to everyone and I hope to see you all there.

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