Crime Stoppers Hails Jamaica Conference
With 16 gang-related murders since 2009, deputy chairman of the island’s Crime Stop Programme, Rafael Simons, has hailed the 32nd staging of the Crime Stoppers Training Conference in Montego Bay as a success.
“The number of murders is unprecedented for Bermuda. Right now gang crime is the dominant crime. There is a lot of tit-for-tat gun shooting in Bermuda,” Mr. Simons told Jamaica’s “Gleaner” newspaper this week.
“Since 2009, we’ve seen 16 gang- and gun-related murders which for Bermuda is unprecedented. So we are trying to get to the root of that and trying to get people to come forth and give information to the police about these gang killings.”
Mr. Simons was speaking at the close of the three-day conference, which was hosted at The Ritz-Carlton Resort and Spa in Montego Bay on Wednesday [Oct. 26].
He indicated that he was able to glean significant data from other crime stoppers during the plenary sessions, and would be adapting and retrofitting the information for the programme in Bermuda.
Mr. Simons and other participants said the conference highlighted the fact that people across the world suffer similar problems and it takes a united effort, as the conference does, to share ideas, build confidence and tackle crime head-on.
It’s estimated that over the last 15 years, Crime Stoppers Bermuda has received more than 3,600 tips, helping to secure dozens of convictions, the seizure of almost $22 million worth of drugs and the recovery of more than $1.6 million worth of stolen property.
