The Bermuda Police service needs to put into place a system by which crimes committed are investigated and the officers that are assigned to such cases are at all time accountable for presenting progress reports.
Recently the Bermuda Police Service was involved in a restructuring process. The process left intelligent people wondering what factors the senior management of the Bermuda Police Service took into consideration while developing and before implementing its restructuring program. Any vital institution such as the Police Service must implement new ideas in collaboration with other institutions. Certain impacting factors must first be examined. The institution must examine not only how such restructuring would impact on the institution’s ability to function effectively, but also how such a restructuring program will impact on other vital, governmental and social structures within the community.
For example, the drug problem on this island is not just a big issue; it is a serious issue that affects a large cross section of the Bermuda community and which makes nonfunctional a large demographic of the island’s human resources (black community). This having a tremendous adverse economical effect on the community; take for example the dissolving of the narcotics street team. This team was responsible for the reduction of the sale of drugs on Bermuda’s streets. This specialized team apprehends dealers and made it difficult for drugs to be sold on the streets of our communities.
When we consider the turning point program that is facilitated by the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute sees about 250 to 300 (this number may be off due to bad memory) new drug addiction cases each year. This means that between 250 and 300 people would have use drugs for the first time and eventually may have become addicted to one of the many substances that comes onto this island, destroying their life for ever. You are forced to asked, was it wise to dissolve the narcotics street team? How many of Bermuda’s youth could have been spared the anguish of a life of addiction that helps to destroy the potential (already small) labor force?
The Bermuda Police Service has well-trained personnel and a well-staffed intelligence department, a competent K9 unit, a narcotics department that does a lot of long hours (as is reflected by the overtime they make) and who also works in collaboration with the Bermuda Customs. With all of these facilities in place, why can’t the Bermuda Police Service make any meaningful drug interception and put a dent in the drug supply, thereby sparing Bermuda youth the curse of becoming addicted?
After four years in Bermuda, I have never heard of a scarcity of any illegal substance on the island and neither have I ever heard of any laboratory on the island that manufactures any of the illegal substance. So the question must be asked, after reviewing the resources outlined above, why is there always a steady supply of illegal drugs available?
