2010 Cup Match Security: Regiment, CCTV & More

Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva said that strengthened security measures would be taken for this year’s Cup Match. He said that there would be a full Firearms Team response capability; that there would be two CCV cameras deployed to record all vehicle numbers and that, in addition, there would be mobile CCTV cameras in use. The mobile cameras were being used on a trial basis and their usefulness would be assessed after the Cup Match period was over. He said that any photo evidence that came from the cameras would be subject to the strict rules of evidence.

Mr. Scott, President of Somerset Cricket Club, said that SCC had contracted with a private security firm and were working closely with the Police to provide gate security at the match. He said that everyone would be subjected to passing through scanners and that all their bags would be subject to search. He went on to say that the Police would provide assistance, as required, with these searches.

In addition, starting with the Cup Match period and possibly continuing into September, the Bermuda Regiment will deploy up to nine soldiers to assist the Bermuda Police Marine Section. With LtCol Brian Gonsalves at his side, Commissioner DeSilva said that the Police were using the resources of the Regiment so that the Police could redeploy some policemen to other tasks.

Precise details from the Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva below:

Cricket fans and others planning to attend the match no doubt have many questions about security at the grounds, particularly in light of the events that marred the close of the match last year in St George’s. We have been working closely with the management of Somerset Cricket Club to ensure that security is tight, and I will hand over shortly to the President of the Club, Mr. Richard Scott, to explain more about that.

Elsewhere around the Island, we are aware that a number of establishments are hosting parties and concerts from the East End to the West End, and I have taken steps to ensure we have more than enough police officers on the ground to deal with any issues, wherever they might arise.

Our Cup Match Operation comes into effect on Wednesday afternoon and runs 24/7 until Monday morning. There will be a Superintendent in charge at all times who is assisted by a Chief Inspector. More than 150 officers have been called to duty for the period and our numbers have been augmented by the Bermuda Reserve Police who, with the permission of the Governor, have been called in on a partial embodiment. We are also being assisted by soldiers of the Bermuda Regiment and the Colonel and I will explain more in a moment. The extra 150 staff are over and above the normal contingent of patrol officers and community action teams, and they too have had their shifts extended to 12 hours to increase our total coverage. As always, we have a full police firearms response capability 24 hours a day.

This year, we are introducing a new tool – we are working with a local security company that has placed CCTV cameras in two fixed positions so that we can monitor traffic flow and record vehicle numbers if we need to. The public should be assured that we have strict protocols in place for the use of these cameras, as we have had for many years with the cameras in the City of Hamilton. The video footage can only be used for the investigation of crime and there is a large threshold when it comes to balancing the rights of public privacy. In addition to the two fixed cameras, we also have the ability to place other mobile cameras in temporary positions as the need arises. This new tactic is a trial run to evaluate the effectiveness of CCTV networks outside the City and to establish whether this is something we wish to pursue in the longer term.

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