Bermuda Police Service - Current Operations

Current Operations

As of 2009, the current strength of the Service is 468 officers, operating from four police stations in Hamilton, St. George's, Southside (the former US Naval Air Station) and Somerset, along with the Headquarters at Prospect Camp, and a small Marine Police Station on Barr's Bay, in Hamilton (which had been shared with the US Navy's Shore Patrol up until 1995). Following the closure of the US Naval Air Station in Bermuda, the Scenes Of Crimes officers have moved to a building there. Plans to create a single, new building to house both the Hamilton Police Station and the Magistrates Court on the corner of Court Street and Victoria Street have recently been carried through, with the Hamilton Police Station having relocated there. Sub police stations on Ord Road, in Warwick, and on St. David's Island have been discussed, though not opened. As with the Airport Police Station, these stations would be staffed only for parts of the day by detachments from one of the permanent stations. Such a sub station was actually created on Middle Road, in Warwick, a few years ago, but has since been closed.

Following a spate of shootings in May, 2009, believed to be gang-related, there were calls for increasing the size and deployment of police forces. Premier Ewart Brown called for "sustained, regular policing" and increased foot patrols "in recognized trouble spots". Police Commissioner Jackson said on 29 May that the Service faced "an unprecedented level of criminality" from a hardcore group of 50–100 violent individuals in four or five gangs. In response, the force will intensify patrolling of trouble-prone areas, by doubling the number of Armed Response Vehicles and deploying officers on an around-the-clock basis in those areas. Whereas the Emergency Response Team, whose members were normally engaged in other police duties but which could be brought together and despatched when required, were previously the only officers armed with anything other than a truncheon or baton, handguns and Tasers are increasingly seen carried by officers on day-to-day duties. The Bermuda Regiment is currently working with the Bermuda Police Service on assisting with, or possibly assuming, some of their maritime policing duties.

Most of the boats used by the Bermuda Police are too small to be used far from shore. As Bermuda is now responsible for policing a zone within a 200 mile radius of Bermuda, larger, sea-going vessels are required. The first large boat operated by the unit, the Heron, lacked the speed required to quickly respond to incidents beyond the reefline. The unit had subsequently also utilized sport fishing boats, including the Heron II, but took delivery in 2006 of a purpose-built patrol vessel, the Guardian, from an Australian shipyard.