Commissioner: ‘Help Us Stop This Violence’

February 16, 2020

[Updated with video] “Bermuda has seen 5 shootings in the past two weeks,” Police Commissioner Stephen Corbishley said, adding that to “fully tackle gang violence requires the absolute support of communities.”

Commissioner Corbishley said, “Bermuda has seen 5 shootings in the past two weeks. This has overshadowed the previous year where for the first time for over 20 years no life was lost on our island as a result of homicide.

“For the past week the BPS has run Operation Nimbus, which has been the largest deployment of police officers since my appointment as Commissioner. This operation will continue with a relentless commitment to tackle those who choose to commit violence over consideration of other people’s safety.

Update: Video of the Police Commissioner’s press conference this afternoon is below

“However there some real issues we need to recognise. These incidents are in danger of becoming a background noise to other news. In fact, I fear we are becoming desensitised to such atrocities taking place in our communities and a news article on TV, in the paper or on social media is swiftly read with no consideration to the real risks we face.

“This risk is the likelihood that at some point an innocent person will lose their life and a family will be devastated. However, this innocent life may not be a gang member, it is very likely to be a child, a senior or a mother or father.

“4 of the last 5 incidents involved the indiscriminate firing of multiple bullets into homes, via doors or windows. The gunman had no care who he hit. No care at all. But what if a child was behind that door? They would be dead. A Senior member of our community. Dead.

“This is the real reality of what some young men are doing on our island, without care or consideration for the harm they could cause. Yet communities are often silent. There are people who know what is happening. There is talk in bars and on social media. Some know where these guns are. They can actually assist us in stopping this violence through their contact and relationships with these young men but they remain silent.

“There is fantastic work ongoing to address the social aspects of gang violence through projects such as Pastor Bean’s Gang Reduction Team and Redemption Farm. However, to fully tackle gang violence requires the absolute support of communities.

“People who know exactly what is going on need to stand up, help us stop this violence, think of the lives lost and the potential ones that could be taken, not least an innocent child caught in a situation they had no part in.

“Communities can help to get these guns off our streets and enable what took place in 2019 to be our future and not 12 months that will potentially be forgotten.

“Preventing the loss of an innocent life is not selling out or snitching. It is the stand up, humane thing to do.”

Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the police on 295-0011 or the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline 800-8477.  

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Comments (6)

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  1. becareful of the truth says:

    Mr Commissioner you are now asking the community to help your Service to tackle this outbreak of gun shootings.
    In your breifing earlier this year you bragged of how your Officers had control of this epidemic.
    You nor your Officers can control this and until you believe this you’re always going to be begging the wider community.
    Please get Leroy Bean to help you as he and others believe he to is a saving grace that has it under control.
    It’s sad you took credit and didn’t have nothing to do with the stoppage of this gun fire.
    You claim your Officers are well versed in tackling it so put them to work so they earn the tax payers dollars we pay them.

    • Kim Smith says:

      This is a comment with absolutely NO value!

    • seriously? says:

      Fun fact. There is no magic way to know who has firearms and when/where they will discharge them. Words are just words but bullets are fatal. Help them get the guns off the street.

  2. Kathy says:

    Offer amnesty for turning in all guns until the end of Feb. No questions asked! After that date, if you are caught with a gun in Bermuda, you get life in prison. No questions asked!

  3. Oops says:

    The Police hurt themselves by declaring victory over gun crime. Those declarations intimidate those with guns so they set upon a series of shootings to demonstrate their resolve! Stop bragging and patting yourselves on the back! Until you promote amnesty programs guns will remain accessible in our community!