Video Replay: Town Hall Meeting on Crime
[Updated] A town hall meeting on crime will be held at 6:30pm this evening [May 5] at the Devonshire Seventh Day Adventist Church on Roberts Avenue, and we will be carrying the video stream live, and readers are welcome to “join in” the meeting online.
Both the Minister of National Security Wayne Perinchief and Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva will be on hand to engage with the community on the current state of affairs and answer questions.
[Update: The full replay is available below, it’s 2.5 hours long, you can drag the bottom bar to ‘fast forward’]
Update 6:46pm: Commissioner DeSilva said they have 60 investigations open for murder and attempted murder. He spoke about working to catch and convict the criminals and well as prevention/solutions.
Update 6:51pm: Commissioner DeSilva speaks on the budget cuts, said they “need to prioritize” where they put officers, and 8/10 of the officers work on the front lines. Says there are downsides, that moving resources to deal with one issue, means a lack of attention on other issues. He said the reality is they are “going to cut back non essential services” in order to patrol and work on gun crime. He said rather then send a officer to a “damage only collision” he will send them to a more pressing issue.
Update 6:59pm: The Commissioner said we will see some very “targeted” efforts fully using the power that PACE accords.
Update 7:02pm: Minister Perinchief has brought up the whole “tinted visor” issue, and says they will be “banning the dark visors”, he says once that passes people will not be allowed to use them, earns applause from the audience.
Update 7:12pm: The Minister said he will be asking the Cabinet to consider “incarcerating hardcore gang members in a different jurisdictions.” More info here.
Update 7:22pm: The Minister said it is likely less than a dozen guns in use in the island, and many victims have been shot with the same weapon. He also said at times the gunmen may run out of ammunition.
Update 7:35pm: The Commissioner said the Police have seized about 15 weapons in the past couple of years, and the gunmen take great lengths to hide their guns as they are a “serious commodity,” and said they hide them “in places you wouldn’t believe.”
Update 7:36pm: Carlton Simmons from ‘Youth On The Move’ said there are more guns then people think it is, and one man was said to have seen eight guns shown to him by a young man. He said the situation is worse than people think it is, and encouraged young people to speak with older people to increase understanding.
Update 7:41pm: An audience member suggested that since some school age young men are involved in the gangs the Police should consider going into the schools. Another audience member suggested the Bermuda Regiment work with the Police to combat crime.
Update 7:45pm: An audience member has called for a life sentence in prison for gun possession. The Minister replies that he has presented a paper to increase jail time for gun offences.
Update 8:06pm: The Minister said it appears some more clean cut young men are being targeted lately, and asked whether the gang members are jealous of the young men as they are getting somewhere in life, attracting the young ladies etc. He ended that line of thought by saying “I don’t know…”
Update 8:15pm: Some of those present include Martha Dismont of the Family Center, PLP MP Ashfield Devent, PLP MP Dale Butler, PLP MP Lovitta Foggo, UBP MP Trevor Moniz, UBP candidate Jeff Sousa, PLP Senator and former Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith, former MP Grace Bell, former Senator Gina Spence.
Update 8:24pm: A white gentleman said that its not just a black problem. Said he is a father of young sons and they are not immune.
Update 8:37pm: A mother of a gang member is speaking, says she loves her son like mothers do. She said she has made extensive efforts to get help – from her MP, the Governor etc. She says she has made pleas for help and no one has listened. Says she sees more Police at the meeting then MPs, and told the Minister that the Cabinet is not supporting him. She said she is “more proud to be the mother of a gang member than a Bermudian” and people say to lock them all up, and that is not the answer – they are crying out for love. When asked where it went wrong, she said it was the education system. She said she sees the loving side of her son, as gang members show that side to their parents.
Update 9pm: The meeting has ended. Bernews extends our thanks to the Minister and Police for allowing us to live stream the event.
Update 9:06pm: The full replay is available above, its 2.5 hours long, you can drag the bottom bar to ‘fast forward’
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A TOWN HALL MEETING ON CRIME?!?!?!?!!?!?!?….ARE YOU EFFIN SERIOUS BPS!!!!
JUST READ THE COMMENTS FROM BERNEWS BPS!!!!!!!!!!
EVERYONE IS TIRED OF CRIME!!!!!
EVERYONE IS TIRED OF POLICE CONCENTRATING ON PETTY CRIME!!!!!
EVERYONE IS TIRED OF OUR A$$ BACKWARD JUDICIAL SYSTEM!!!!!
EVERYONE IS TIRED OF TALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would be interested in how they can make gang membership illegal. How can they determine who is a gang member?
@ Yawn..I am waiting for that answer myself…going to be a whole lot of racial profiling going on..outside of those that readily admit to being so…..
Come out of your shell “Yawn”. Read about it in the USA and how it does work. Just like any other criminal activity it is investigated, documented, orallt, Net wise, documentory, et al.
Yee of little faith or those that want to hinder.
I am a U.S. Citizen who has visited the island a few times, and the island is a beautiful island and has beautiful people. It is too small to be marred by such deadly violence. It will become, if it already hasn’t, very hard for tourists to come to the island to be faced with such violence or worse become a victim of mistaken identity.
– I would seek imposing the death penalty for such crimes of murder.
– There should be brought to the island, from allies such as the United States, a special force to come in and root out the gangs.
– A deliberate effort should be done including in the above mentioned article to make gang membership illegal and seizing ill-gotten gains without a criminal conviction
– A strong effort must be made. It cannot be watered-down. The island is only 22 square miles.
Thanks for your interest in our island Edward, much appreciated…
They need to explain why we got rid of the foriegn expert police when we obviously have such a need for them?
Easy…. The G’ment spent all the money on cars, travel etc.. So now they can’t pay for the experts and needed police overtime
yo Eddie…..Death Penalty does not work in the USA. Look at the stats about how many are on death row, the cost et al … Osama got the death penalty after hundreds of thousand lives.
r u effin kiddin me bra…banned dark visors now??!?!? wat next. gimme a break um gonna still wear mines. gtfoh
Well you can’t wear a helmet/dark glasses et al into a Bank and so your point is what.
Their looking for input and this is all we get? Negative. RIP Bermuda………
R U one of them? what do you need to hide
Bernews can you ask the question if the dogs can sniff out firearms on docks and at the customs down the airport in the meantime due to the fact that xray machines are not currently present at either place!!
Can you also ask why drugs and firearms are not monitored at the “Oil Docks” and when deck hands paint the hulls of ships when in Hamilton and why things are dropped into boats at 2am and Fishing vessels are not subject to search when they come from the southwest with a wahoo and 300lbs of weed and……
Missy , you are spot on.
Carlton is speaking the truth…so far.
I agree with carlton, this convo in sugar coated. This “GANG” generation has no value of life, unfortunately these young men do not think they have worth and are lookn for it in the wrong place. These so called gangs are allowing financial strength and respect by doing these acts.
Yes, children between 10-16 are already representing their crews – park side, 42, mob etc. HOW CAN U STOP THAT??? they living in neighborhoods seeing it frontline.
Aint no way in hell your number for actual guns in bda is accurate
You anticipate guns crime to diminish even with your own count, however if the guns can come into bermuda how easy can bullets of which is a portion of the size get in.
older generation and younger generation are not the problem, the influence is the current generation.
even if an amnesty was inforced, why would any man hand in their security per say. If i knew i had a target on my back, there is no way in hell i would give it up.
I personally think that if incarcerated for anyyyyyy gun crime these boys should be shipped to kingston prison. These boys are being housed for 70-90,000 per year, allowed free education etc and i am currently unemployed, eating roman noodles, about to loose my home due to none payment , etc and i have never had a record.
so instead of walkn around with stacks of money in their pockets give them fear as a consequence.
some of these moms are gettn hair groomed, nails manicured, wearing 200$ shoes etc off of the GANG DRUG $.
Bernews pls ask: how do they anticipate fighting crime, gang violence etc with police shortages. It was praised tonight on the news that they where in select areas today, unfortunately 90% of gun crime is at night and on weekends when police are at half capacity. Are they available to night clubs, after hours spots, after hour restaurants etc. Shouldnt they be out during the peak time of gang violence? Shouldnt they be securing patrons and business during this time rather than spot checks.
@Lost Cause….drag the video replay to about 15 mins in and the Commissioner speaks on the budget shortages and how they are handling them, and the logistical changes they made etc….
Look man just hire BOPE from Brazil. They’ll clean up! And I’m DEAD serious!
At 330pm 5 young Black males are having a discussion while sitting on a wall, 2-3 are kicking a football in the street, without causing a problem. Up rolls a police Land Rover, 4 police officers jump out and begin questioning these men. Tempers flare and 2 men are handcuffed and pushed into a just arrived police car. An elderly lady who lives nearby, asks the officers what is going on? The reply was “some of these guys are gang members and we just want to question them”.
Who decides that they are gang members, and what criteria is used?
Rockfish..that’s what I would like to know and I asked the same question a couple of posts ago…who is going to determine this..just because I stop and talk to a couple of the guys from Parkside and I’m seen CTV on Court Street) is it ASSUMED that I am a gang member? and on my drive home I stop at Rubber Tree and shoot the breeze, seen yet again is it going to be assumed? and finally when I reach somerset and chat to the guys at Gun Alley will this be considered the “proof in the pudding”…Yes all well and good that they want to introduce this legislation but how are they going to go about it is the burning question…Yes there are some members that are more noticeable than others (tatoos)so they will be more easily recognised…but what about the rest..just seeking clarication..remaining neutral…
That’s mother’s story is very heart-breaking :’(
Sorry for that mother but gang members DO need to be locked up
You have missed the point! Someone has to decide who is a gang member,as far as I know they are NOT issued with membership cards. If that in not known it should be clear what could happen to innocent groups of young men. (needless confrontation with the BPS) By the way these men were taken away and released 2 hours later, without charge.
All parents should be interested in knowing whether their sons/daughters fit the criteria of a bona fide gang member according to the BPS way of thinking.
They will at least have the opportunity to nip it in the bud.
Or are we saying ALL young men are presumed guilty until proven innocent and any eager beaver police officer can simply repeat the above incident whenever the urge hits him/her.
typo– is not known
That would be the courts….. Just like any crime, evidence will be gathered and presented…
If one speeds, steals, rapes, murders etc.there is an expection/possibility of getting arrested and charged.
On the other hand if a problem free male is simply sitting on a wall with friends talking about football, there is no similar expectation.
The law regarding gang membership must be clearly thought out! If not there will be several acquittals.
Bernews great job with the stream!
thank you bernews, as always a job well done…
Thanks Persia and Pepper, much appreciated. We are trying to fine tune the quality, seem to have better audio lately, the pic is still a bit fuzzy so working on that…
Bermuda has many problems but no sound solutions. No man should have to take a life but given the current state of this island there needs to be a “state of emergency”. There are many positive things said during this “meeting” but there has been meeting after meeting and no progress has been made. There needs to be a curfew put into effect this whole island needs to be shut down and there needs to be a sweep with law enforcement and regiment alike from one end of the island to another. Every door needs to be knocked on or knocked down if necessary. Arrest need to be made for drugs,guns, and any other contraband. Yes Some people will probably be killed during this state of emergency but this is the sacrifice we need to make Bermuda. Drastic times call for drastic measures we are beyond the talking stage at this point we need action and we need to act now because we will need this state of emergency eventually mark my words. You can do it now and have minimal loss of life or you can wait until it gets worse because it will and have a higher death toll. You choose.
What???
a mother of a gang member speaks up and what happened???
therein lies a problem right away!
“A mother of a gang member is speaking, says she loves her son like mothers do. She said she has made extensive efforts to get help – from her MP, the Governor etc. She says she has made pleas for help and no one has listened.”
Get help how? Has he committed crimes that she’s aware of? If so, did she report them? The MPs, Governor etc. aren’t going to magically cure her son of gang membership…
Wow … sounds like you need to go back and listen to what she said. Then again, you probably still wouldn’t hear what she said. Why are we so quick to judge … as if we’re somehow better than the person we’re looking down on. Pride goeth before a FALL. May God have mercy on your ignorant soul.
When they bann the tinted visor….these guys can still wear the clear visor and have on large dark sunglasses underneath.
What Mr. Minister your going to banning Ray-Ban & Oakley Sunglasses also.
OMG!!