City Extend Extra Duty Police Officer Programme

The City of Hamilton has committed an extra $54,000 to fund their Extra Duty Police Officer Programme for the remainder of the year.

A spokesperson said, “The City has already injected more than $57,000 into the initiative which began in October 2020 with the aim of providing high visibility policing in the area of North Hamilton.

“Since the inception of the programme there has been:

• 1252 hours of patrols in the area of North Hamilton;

• 753 parking tickets and eight traffic tickets issued;

• 7 arrests made [3 for theft, 1 for carrying a bladed article, 1 for offensive behaviour, 1 for using offensive words, 1 for an outstanding warrant].

“The initiative involves two officers working four hours, five days a week in the North Hamilton area; the times of the patrols are varied. The officers work in partnership with the City Parish Constable.”

City CEO Dwayne Caines said, “The City of Hamilton recognizes the importance of creating a dynamic living and working space for all residents and businesses within the City. Through our regular communications with residents and businesses in North Hamilton, the number one issue that came forward was safety.

“We worked with the Bermuda Police Service [BPS] as well as the area residents and businesses to find a solution. In the short term, we decided to invest in additional policing for the area, which is how the Extra Duty Police Officer Programme came about. This will give the BPS and the City the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with residents and businesses in North Hamilton and to support that community.

“The presence of the officers not only discourages antisocial behaviour and criminal activity, but it also provides targeted enforcement of parking violations [specifically all-day offenders and resident parking infringements] and assists with identifying ‘fly tipping’ offenders – issues which area residents have told us are particularly vexing. And, in the eight short months that it has been operational, this programme has done just that. North Hamilton is experiencing a trend of low crime rates and anti-social behaviour which, we believe, is a direct result of these patrols.

“Aside from the obvious policing benefits, the initiative has also had the unexpected benefit of playing an information gathering role, with police officers feeding back to us helpful infrastructure data about the area – such as identifying trip hazards and areas which would benefit from speed control or additional signage.”

Area business owner Nadine Clarke-Dillas of Nadz Beauty said: “This is definitely a positive programme. The officers are very pleasant and will come into the area businesses and ask if everything is okay and whether there has been any trouble that day. I personally have never had any feelings of being afraid in the area; it is a safe place. But some people find it is reassuring to see the cops out on the beat here, making sure everything is okay. People who are normally apprehensive to come into the area are reassured now; they are more relaxed to come in and shop.”

A spokeperson added, “Each month the BPS compiles a brief report to ensure a measured effectiveness of the programme and to highlight any concerns which other agencies can assist with. Over the past few months these officers have dealt with noise complaints, aided with traffic and parking issues outside Dellwood Middle School during pick-up time, conducted K-9 searches, handled incidents of lost property, and provided advice and information regarding Bermuda’s helping agencies.

Chief Inspector Alex Rollin, the officer in charge of the initiative for the BPS said: “The community response to the programme has been overwhelmingly positive. Our officers continuously interact with business owners, merchants and area residents who have expressed appreciation at the continued presence of police.

“Our officers have noted that instances of alcohol consumption on the streets have curtailed since the start of the programme and statistics show a decrease in crime rates.

“One area business owner told us she has seen a dramatic decrease in persons riding their motorcycles on the sidewalk, which has greatly alleviated the safety concerns that she had for her clients as they step out onto the sidewalk from her establishment.

“It would be remiss of me not to note that the BPS has many projects going on regarding the day-to-day business of policing in the area – both community-based as well as intelligence led.

“However, this Extra Duty Police Officer Programme is truly something special, in my opinion – to be able to dedicate officers to interact with the residents and businesses in the area is a real asset and of great benefit to the City of Hamilton and parish of Pembroke. It is also clear evidence of what can be achieved through Community Policing, which is a major focus of Commissioner Stephen Corbishley.”

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