Hampshire Police: Special Constables Sworn In

January 22, 2014

Today [Jan 22] officers from Hampshire Constabulary became Special Constables for the Bermuda Police Service, enabling them to effectively investigate serious crimes onboard Bermuda registered vessels in Hampshire ports.

A total of 16 staff from the Hampshire Major Investigation Team – 14 detectives and two police staff investigators – were formally sworn in as Special Constables by Commissioner of the Bermuda Police Service Michael DeSilva.

The ceremony was also attended by Hampshire Chief Constable Andy Marsh and Hampshire Police & Crime Commissioner Simon Hayes.

Hampshire Constabulary Bermuda Special Constables Group Photo

Also present at the swearing-in ceremony held at Police Support & Training Headquarters at Netley in the UK were senior representatives from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as well as cruise operator Carnival UK.

A Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] has been established between Hampshire Constabulary and the Bermuda Police Service to facilitate criminal investigations onboard visiting Bermuda registered vessels, in collaboration with the UK Home Office, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Government of Bermuda and Bermuda Government House.

Commissioner of the Bermuda Police Service Michael DeSilva said: “For us this is about partnering up with a UK force, which allows us to provide a more appropriate and faster response to ships that are registered in Bermuda.

“Through this partnership with Hampshire Constabulary, we can overcome the logistical delays caused by flying in from Bermuda – there are only five flights a week to the UK and so it can often take up to two days to get there.

“This MoU gives us more options and means that we may not have to deploy every time a crime is reported which requires investigation. Importantly for us, it also gives us a footing as a UK police force.

“The six Caribbean territories and Bermuda are all British territories, and while we are not a Home Office force, we are part of UK policing and it is very important for us to be part of this.”

Read More About

Category: All, Crime, News

Comments (12)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

Articles that link to this one:

  1. Minister: Police & Hampshire Constabulary MOU | Bernews.com | March 1, 2014
  1. Valirie Marcia Akinstall says:

    Yes, and it would have been more cost effective to have flown the Commissioner of Police DeSilva, to the UK rather than more than sixteen British police officers plus senior members (I count twenty in the picture, excluding Commissioner DeSilva) of the FCO to Bermuda? Was there an occasion other than just the swearing in ceremony? Were there workshops or special crimes that needed to be investigated? Please tell us that this was not just a swearing in ceremony – stand alone.

    With this type of expense being laid out, any Bermudians in the UK want to join the Hampshire Constabulary? If no, then seriously MI6 is recruiting (MI6 is the UK equivalent to the CIA). James Bond anyone? Beats searching ships, even if they are Bermuda registered.

    Please tell me that Bermuda did not pick up this tab?

    London, England

    • enough says:

      You need to learn to read.

      “….swearing-in ceremony held at Police Support & Training Headquarters at Netley in the UK..”

    • Bernews says:

      Hi Ms Akinstall, the Commissioner did actually fly over there. The ceremony was held at the Police Support & Training Headquarters at Netley in the UK.

    • Watcher55 says:

      This will have no effect whatsoever on Bermuda’s dismal crime stats (the real ones)

      • Me says:

        This is not for general crime in Bermuda but to deter crime on ships registered in Bermuda.

  2. Valirie Marcia Akinstall says:

    And now I have a very humble apology to make…And please note that I do make apologies when I am wrong, please note that.

    And just a quick note of clarification, was the article taken down and re-published, Bernews? Just asking for transparency because it has changed?

    London, England

    • Bernews says:

      No, it’s the same article as always. That said, the fact it was in the UK is in the middle of the text, we probably should have put it right in the beginning for clarity!

    • Hmmm says:

      You apologise and then try and look for a scapegoat…

      READ the whole article before you REACT.

      I wonder if I’ll get a snarky response, excuse or a further apology????

  3. LOL(original TM*) says:

    VMA – HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH – typical you dont reading!!!! and then you have gall after apologising to say bernews changed it – get a GRIP!!!!!!!

  4. Valirie Marcia Akinstall says:

    Oh that’s childlike, and amusing.

    As Renee Descartes once said, “he who has been wrong once can never be absolutely certain that he (or she) will never be wrong again.”

    Interpretation, be prepared, it’s likely that I will be wrong again in the future. And I will humbly apology then when I am.

    London, England

  5. Voter says:

    Who are they investigating?