Commissioner of Police Darrin Simons - "Today, there are 360 officers in the Bermuda Police Service, including the 14 student officers who are still in training. No record, as far back to 1979, shows staffing levels this low and certainly not with our current gang challenges. Officer numbers need to rise in order for the BPS to effectively respond to violent firearm crime.

Rest assured the women and men in the BPS remain committed to and focused on, their mission to make Bermuda safer.

The BPS continues to work with The Minister of National Security, and government as a whole, to ensure we are adequately resourced to meet our mandate.

To that end, with government’s approval, we are progressing both local and overseas recruitment. We are now engaged in the process of selecting recruits for our next training course. We anticipate starting this training course in November with 25 new officers.

Last year Government provided funding for the purchase of ten cars. It is anticipated our fleet will be further enhanced with the purchasing of an additional seven cars later this year, through funding provided by the government.

Our efforts will also be bolstered with the updated CCTV camera system, soon expected to be fully operational."