Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10HAMILTON18
2010-01-22 21:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Hamilton
Cable title:  

BERMUDA POLICE SERVICE RELEASES FAR-REACHING 2010 POLICING

Tags:  ASEC CASC PREL SOCI BD 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5721
RR RUEHHT
DE RUEHHT #0018/01 0222102
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 222102Z JAN 10
FM AMCONSUL HAMILTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3995
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0023
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0949
RUEHHT/AMCONSUL HAMILTON 2173
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HAMILTON 000018 

SIPDIS, SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR INL;
EUR/WE (J. MARBURG);
EUR/PPD (L. MCMANIS AND A. PIPKIN);
LONDON FOR R. HUBER;
USUNNY/RSO (T. SEARS AND S. EMERS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC CASC PREL SOCI BD
SUBJECT: BERMUDA POLICE SERVICE RELEASES FAR-REACHING 2010 POLICING
PLAN: MAKING BERMUDA SAFER

REF: A. HAMILTON 16

B. HAMILTON 11

C. 2009 HAMILTON 149

D. 2009 HAMILTON 101

Summary

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HAMILTON 000018

SIPDIS, SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR INL;
EUR/WE (J. MARBURG);
EUR/PPD (L. MCMANIS AND A. PIPKIN);
LONDON FOR R. HUBER;
USUNNY/RSO (T. SEARS AND S. EMERS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC CASC PREL SOCI BD
SUBJECT: BERMUDA POLICE SERVICE RELEASES FAR-REACHING 2010 POLICING
PLAN: MAKING BERMUDA SAFER

REF: A. HAMILTON 16

B. HAMILTON 11

C. 2009 HAMILTON 149

D. 2009 HAMILTON 101

Summary


1. (SBU) On January 21, Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva
publicly released the Bermuda Police Service's (BPS) Policing
Plan for 2010. It is an ambitious strategy aimed at making
Bermuda a safer place to live, work and visit. The plan takes a
four-pronged approach to policing, which Desilva described as
the "four Ps": people, partnership, priorities and performance.
It reflects the contributions and endorsements of Governor
Richard Gozney, who is the U.K.'s representative in Bermuda and
who has charge of the Island's internal security, and Labor,
Home Affairs and Housing Minister David Burch. Reflecting the
gang-related crime wave now gripping the Island (REFTELS B-D),
the plan sets out a Gang and Violence Reduction Strategy. That
strategy emphasizes the identification of Prolific Priority
Offenders (PPOs),the relatively few criminals involved in a
disproportionate number of offences, and embedding Community
Action Teams in troubled neighborhoods. End summary.



Acknowledging the Problem


2. (U) The plan opens with an admission that, as Bermuda
grapples with an escalation in the use of guns and associated
gang violence, the need for police to focus their efforts on
front-line operations has never been greater. DeSilva wrote,
"The friendly and tranquil Bermuda that we are internationally
known for is being threatened by recurring and alarming news of
violence." Therefore, the plan articulates a new mission
statement for the BPS: making Bermuda safer. The key priorities
to implement the mission statement are: A) tackling crime; B)
enhancing public confidence; C) policing with the community; D)
modernizing the BPS; and E) optimizing performance. The BPS
will put its resources, focus and energy into the "four Ps":
people, partnerships, priorities and performance.



The Top Priority: Tackling Criminal, Gang and Drug Activity


3. (U) The plan states that troubled neighborhoods and
those affected by gang violence are the highest priority. The

BPS has devised a Gang and Violence Reduction Strategy that
addresses prevention and deterrence; apprehension and
conviction; and rehabilitation and resettlement. The strategy
calls for "relentless investigation" to identify Prolific
Priority Offenders (PPOs); a targeted deployment plan to reduce
drug supply and apply asset forfeiture legislation; review by
the FBI, U.S. and U.K. police for best practices; gang
disruption workshops for police and other stakeholders; and
training for prosecutors and BPS investigators in the use of
special investigative measures. The plan also calls for
exploring overseas options to augment local police in the short
term while improving Bermudian recruitment, as well as arranging
overseas attachments for front-line officers in gang units.
Deputy Commissioner Michael Jackman was quoted in the January 22
Royal Gazette as saying, "We have been hampered in our ability
to tackle the recent spate of gun crime because this has been
very new to us. We've been trying to draw from experience we
just don't have~Our officers will join the front line in the
battle against gangs in these countries and then help us deal
with the problems we face." The BPS will provide firearms
training for officers in the armed response vehicles and
training in gun crime-scene reconstruction to improve the
capabilities of the forensic unit.



Partnership, People and Performance


4. (U) The policing plan outlines a Problem-Oriented
Policing and Partnership (POPP) approach involving all
stakeholders, including government, public and private sector
agencies, the business community, schools, churches,
neighborhoods and individuals. Citizen focus is high on the
agenda, calling for engagement with area legislators, community
representatives, and key partners, development of community
action groups and advisory committees, community impact
assessments, as well as school programs and crime prevention

HAMILTON 00000018 002 OF 002


initiatives. The plan sets forth a commitment to training,
development and support of all staff, including a tutor
constable program. The BPS has developed a local recruitment
and retention plan to increase the number of Bermudians at all
levels within the service. The BPS will also reorganize its
records management system and prepare for full implementation of
the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act. Among other
things, it will develop prosecutor charging and bailing guides.



Comment


5. (SBU) Commissioner Michael DeSilva assumed office
December 16, 2009, in the midst of a gang-and-gun crime wave
that stunned the community. While addressing the violence,
DeSilva managed to oversee the development of the 2010 Police
Plan. The plan is a welcome approach; it is proactive,
aggressive, comprehensive and targeted and will bring the BPS
into the Twenty-first Century. It also has the unqualified,
unified support of the Governor and Home Affairs Minister - a
necessary change from past practice where the Bermuda Government
and Government House seemed to work at cross purposes.




6. (SBU) While the plan lays the groundwork for tackling
guns and gangs now, it also recognizes the need for outside
assistance, such as that already received from the FBI on
January 4-6 (REFTEL A) and that now in the planning stages. The
BPS is seeking more help in crisis management, crime scene
examination, forensic pathology, and close protection. RSO is
working with DS/ATA to identify immediate assistance with
regards to VIP Protection training. Further discussions are
underway to determine whether long-term DS-provided training can
be organized. Post has guarded confidence that the BPS is on
the right track and that the support from the community and
government it is now enjoying will pave the way for reduced
crime in the future.
SHELTON