Smith: ‘Making Sure & Steady Progress On Crime’
In response to the recently released crime statistics Senator Jonathan Smith — a former Police Commissioner — said: “While we have more work to do, I’m glad to see that we’re making sure and steady progress bringing crime under control.”
“Over the last several quarters, we’ve seen that crime is consistently on the way down. In fact, the second quarter represented the second lowest crime incidents since 2007. While there’s certainly more work to be done, it’s clear that progress is being made.
“Over the last several years, the PLP has strengthened funding for prevention and rehabilitation programmes. We’ve instituted tough new laws to punish gang members. We’ve introduced new crime fighting technologies and created training opportunities for law enforcement agents. And, we’ve implemented reforms to the judicial system to ensure that our courts move more swiftly.
“Further, we are extremely encouraged to witness the growing community mobilisation to counter gang and gun crime and gang lifestyle. More people are getting involved to help our young men chart an alternative path. Ultimately, this is where the long term resolutions rest.
“We know that there is more work to do, but, we are glad to say that when it comes to crime, we are standing strong for Bermudians by making Bermuda a safer place to live and raise a family,” concluded Senator Smith.
The crime statistics for the second quarter of 2012 included a number of statistics such as total crime is down 10% while sexual assaults have increased, residential burglaries fell while tourist accommodation burglaries increased, and that 825 people were arrested. You can read the full statistics here [PDF].
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Category: All, Crime, News, Politics
This nonsense coming from THE WORST Police Commissioner this island has ever seen. Absolute rubbish!
I agree.
Agreed!
He seems to have more interest in the BPS now, than when he was the Commissioner. I guess he is hoping to get Waynes’s job.
Must be an election on the horizon.
How is it nonsense when the statistics speak for themselves?
Just because you may or may not be on the same political side as Senator Smith doesn’t mean that what he is speaking is untrue. Crime has gone down in some very critical areas. There is also work that needs to be done in others. What else would you like him to say?
The quarterly rate of Residential Burglaries is worse than the average quarterly rate in 2011 and 2010. So either Jonathan Smith thinks that is an ‘improvement’, or he’s just trying to make things sound better than they are.
The statistics don’t speak for themselves, they manipulate reality. Who cares if crime is down 10.7% from one quarter to the other! That’s like saying crime today is down 100% from crime yesterday. How about we look at the bigger picture and ask ourselves if crime is down from, say 1998.
What’s nonsense is that anybody that supports the PLP, you and the rest of the clowns hate on. It doesn’t matter what color they are until they wear the green and white that you dislike.
I dunno it may have something to do with all the unethical but not illegal behavior going on within his party and him being the x police commissioner…then again I wouldn’t say anything either for fear of losing my big government paper contract, nice friends n family deal there huh? With all the flip flopping on policies this government has done that’s a lot of f@ckin paper.
Mr. smith, how do you feel about the decriminalization of marijuan to take profits out of the hands of gangsters and increasing tax revenues for government? Also harvesting hemp as an alternative to everyday items like clothing and….paaaper. Well that would mean converting all of your stock from slow growing tree paper to fast growing hemp paper. I’m prettg sure that would be quite a waste of moneyand out of the question for you. Kinda makes you the modern day william randolf hearst.
Go put on a batman suit or shut up.
Funny how the PLP sent HIM to take credit for Minister Perinchief’s works…
His command of the English language is a tad bit better.
Oops—*Wayne’s job*
“We” what we is he talking about. It better be the people of Bermuda… as he is no longer the Police Commissioner, and the current Government is the biggest hindrance to the police.
It benefits the OBA and their supporters to cast a negative light on any good news. But to rational people it is obvious that in most categories this is extremely good news. Yes work needs to be done to reduce crime in some others but I doubt that there will be a totally crime free Bermuda under whichever administration. It cannot be denied though that the statistics show a vast reduction in some of the critical areas and for that we should be thankful and appreciative.
Guess Bermudian sheep no longer say “baaaa”. They say “hmmm”!
Follow the wether…..
“It benefits the OBA and their supporters to cast a negative light on any good news.”
I fail to see any logic in that since we’re all Bermudians, it affects us all. Unless of course you mean the oba want the plp to look bad in an effort to gain political power. If that is your argument then tell the plp to stop helping them make it so easy. If the oba is different that the egotistical, self-rightious, greedy, hate-driven, revenge-seeking government officials we have now then I’m all for change. Like I said before, I won’t be voting for any party, I’ll be voting against our current governmemt.
“It cannot be denied though that the statistics show a vast reduction in some of the critical areas and for that we should be thankful and appreciative.”
As I grew up in Bermuda, it was relatively safe, sure there was crime, sure there always will be. Robberies, burgleries, bike theft, insurance fraud, you name it. Looking around now and seeing within the last 10 years the signifigant rise in gun crimes, broad daylight robberies and shootings, forced entries into occupied homes, forced sexual assault with a weapon, teens murdering teens for a chain, groups of young men…sorry, punks, beating a father into ICU in front of his children, corruption at an all time blatant high, all while our politicians sit back in their secure homes/mansions and shout down hollow promises from the hill…well forgive me if I’m a little less that appreciative.
Crime statistics, like any other government produced statistics, have been made to look good. Anyone can manipulate the numbers to say anything they want. A lot of crimes are no longer reported due in part to the inept court system.
We MUST face reality when listening to these people, and know they are not being truthful.
smith is only singing for his supper..all lies..and propaganda..THIS ISLAND IS CRIME RIDDEN..and the second industry here is narco/industry..forget tourism!!! coz the ppl behing this dept are a bunch of pure FOOLS!!..have you lisen to furbert??..the man can’t complete a sentence.. and much more to this…
So let’s get a direct and honest answer to the foundational question. Who extrapolated the stats in the Crime Report?
It critical that the public knows and understands that what is being stated to them is accurate, unbiased and up to date.
A police service cannot be monitoring its own progress, but rather it should be overseen by an impartal company/body that also tells us a lot more about the police service itself. Bermuda must have the only police service in the democratic world that rates itself.