Full Text: Violent Crime Report

December 13, 2011

A national summit on violent crime in Bermuda should be convened to adapt recommendations contained in a Parliamentary committee report on the subject into a workable strategy.

The final report of the bi-partisan Joint Select Committee On Violent Crime & Gun Violence is scheduled to be debated in the Senate tomorrow [Dec. 14].

Tabled in July, the report’s comprehensive findings offer a broad overview of the the gang-related and socio-economic roots of the issue — an overview members of the committe said now had to be translated into workable policies.

“Tackling these problems should be Bermuda’s number one priority,” the report concluded. “To this end we believe that we need to develop a National Plan to which everyone can and should have input and by which everyone can measure what impact the Plan is having.

“The work of the committee was only the start.”

The Joint Select Committee, which met earlier this year, held 37 public hearings and in addition to submissions from Government agencies including the Bermuda Police Service, the Prison Service and HM Customs heard presentations from members of the public.

“The committee is recommending as a priority a National Summit of these various helping agencies to develop a National Plan with a view to establishing what can and cannot realistically be done by those agencies working together, complementing each other, based on the resources available, both human and financial,” said the report.

Saying the report demonstrated “there is no one simple solution” to the complex problem of violent crime and gun violence in Bermuda, the committee members unanimously urged Government to “kick start” the summit process by establishing a coordinating task force.

The Joint Select Committee was chaired by Government backbencher Randy Horton.  Members of Parliament John Barritt, Ashfield DeVent, Lovita Foggo, Mark Pettingill and Senators Michael Dunkley and Joan Dillas-Wright sat on the panel.

The committee’s report touched on the need for gang mediation in Bermuda, the undergorund trade in illicit drugs, the increasing number of at-risk children growing up in dysfunctional families and the need for a stepped-up police presence.

The full report is below, click ‘Fullscreen’ for greater clarity:

Read More About

Category: All, Crime, News, Politics

Comments (6)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Nadir Wade says:

    Bernews, anyway to get this in pdf format or a means of downloading from a particular site?

    • Bernews says:

      Any PDF we ever post can always be be downloaded through Scribd. There is a download button at the bottom of each PDF we post, you may need to sign up for Scribd to download though [it's free]. Alternatively, Government ones are often on the Government portal. The direct link to the one above is here.

  2. Ryan Whiting says:

    120 pages?! Really? I think I’ll skim through the report.

  3. The Future says:

    “… report’s comprehensive findings offer a broad overview of the the gang-related and socio-economic roots of the issue — an overview members of the committe said now had to be translated into workable policies.
    “Tackling these problems should be Bermuda’s number one priority,” the report concluded….”

    Socio economic problems are caused by a lack of Self knowledge (which always leads to higher beings acting like animals). Solving such problems makes a spiritual solution – and I don’t mean Christian/Muslim/Baha’i – essential. In fact, “the problem” is really just an itch, prompting society to scratch. Eloquent talk and elaborate policies won’t satisfy that itch one iota. Individuals, families, communities that learn and reinforce how to behave, succeed, maintain….oh but this is a tall order you say. Ok fine. Be ready to itch for a while.

  4. superdave says:

    15th of July,2011. 13th of December,2011