VZCZCXRO5721
RR RUEHHT
DE RUEHHT #0018/01 0222102
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 222102Z JAN 10
FM AMCONSUL HAMILTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3995
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0023
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0949
RUEHHT/AMCONSUL HAMILTON 2173

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HAMILTON 000018 
 
SIPDIS, SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR INL; 
EUR/WE (J. MARBURG); 
EUR/PPD (L. MCMANIS AND A. PIPKIN); 
LONDON FOR R. HUBER; 
USUNNY/RSO (T. SEARS AND S. EMERS) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CASC PREL SOCI BD
SUBJECT: BERMUDA POLICE SERVICE RELEASES FAR-REACHING 2010 POLICING 
PLAN: MAKING BERMUDA SAFER 
 
REF: A. HAMILTON 16 
     ¶B. HAMILTON 11 
     ¶C. 2009 HAMILTON 149 
     ¶D. 2009 HAMILTON 101 
 
Summary 
 
¶1.      (SBU) On January 21, Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva 
publicly released the Bermuda Police Service's (BPS) Policing 
Plan for 2010.  It is an ambitious strategy aimed at making 
Bermuda a safer place to live, work and visit.  The plan takes a 
four-pronged approach to policing, which Desilva described as 
the "four Ps":  people, partnership, priorities and performance. 
 It reflects the contributions and endorsements of Governor 
Richard Gozney, who is the U.K.'s representative in Bermuda and 
who has charge of the Island's internal security, and Labor, 
Home Affairs and Housing Minister David Burch.  Reflecting the 
gang-related crime wave now gripping the Island (REFTELS B-D), 
the plan sets out a Gang and Violence Reduction Strategy.  That 
strategy emphasizes the identification of Prolific Priority 
Offenders (PPOs), the relatively few criminals involved in a 
disproportionate number of offences, and embedding Community 
Action Teams in troubled neighborhoods.  End summary. 
 
 
 
Acknowledging the Problem 
 
¶2.      (U) The plan opens with an admission that, as Bermuda 
grapples with an escalation in the use of guns and associated 
gang violence, the need for police to focus their efforts on 
front-line operations has never been greater.  DeSilva wrote, 
"The friendly and tranquil Bermuda that we are internationally 
known for is being threatened by recurring and alarming news of 
violence."  Therefore, the plan articulates a new mission 
statement for the BPS: making Bermuda safer.  The key priorities 
to implement the mission statement are: A) tackling crime; B) 
enhancing public confidence; C) policing with the community; D) 
modernizing the BPS; and E) optimizing performance.  The BPS 
will put its resources, focus and energy into the "four Ps": 
people, partnerships, priorities and performance. 
 
 
 
The Top Priority:  Tackling Criminal, Gang and Drug Activity 
 
¶3.      (U) The plan states that troubled neighborhoods and 
those affected by gang violence are the highest priority.  The 
BPS has devised a Gang and Violence Reduction Strategy that 
addresses prevention and deterrence; apprehension and 
conviction; and rehabilitation and resettlement.  The strategy 
calls for "relentless investigation" to identify Prolific 
Priority Offenders (PPOs); a targeted deployment plan to reduce 
drug supply and apply asset forfeiture legislation; review by 
the FBI, U.S. and U.K. police for best practices; gang 
disruption workshops for police and other stakeholders; and 
training for prosecutors and BPS investigators in the use of 
special investigative measures.  The plan also calls for 
exploring overseas options to augment local police in the short 
term while improving Bermudian recruitment, as well as arranging 
overseas attachments for front-line officers in gang units. 
Deputy Commissioner Michael Jackman was quoted in the January 22 
Royal Gazette as saying, "We have been hampered in our ability 
to tackle the recent spate of gun crime because this has been 
very new to us.  We've been trying to draw from experience we 
just don't have~Our officers will join the front line in the 
battle against gangs in these countries and then help us deal 
with the problems we face."  The BPS will provide firearms 
training for officers in the armed response vehicles and 
training in gun crime-scene reconstruction to improve the 
capabilities of the forensic unit. 
 
 
 
Partnership, People and Performance 
 
¶4.      (U) The policing plan outlines a Problem-Oriented 
Policing and Partnership (POPP) approach involving all 
stakeholders, including government, public and private sector 
agencies, the business community, schools, churches, 
neighborhoods and individuals.  Citizen focus is high on the 
agenda, calling for engagement with area legislators, community 
representatives, and key partners, development of community 
action groups and advisory committees, community impact 
assessments, as well as school programs and crime prevention 
 
HAMILTON 00000018  002 OF 002 
 
 
initiatives.  The plan sets forth a commitment to training, 
development and support of all staff, including a tutor 
constable program.  The BPS has developed a local recruitment 
and retention plan to increase the number of Bermudians at all 
levels within the service.  The BPS will also reorganize its 
records management system and prepare for full implementation of 
the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act.  Among other 
things, it will develop prosecutor charging and bailing guides. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
¶5.      (SBU)  Commissioner Michael DeSilva assumed office 
December 16, 2009, in the midst of a gang-and-gun crime wave 
that stunned the community.  While addressing the violence, 
DeSilva managed to oversee the development of the 2010 Police 
Plan.  The plan is a welcome approach; it is proactive, 
aggressive, comprehensive and targeted and will bring the BPS 
into the Twenty-first Century.  It also has the unqualified, 
unified support of the Governor and Home Affairs Minister - a 
necessary change from past practice where the Bermuda Government 
and Government House seemed to work at cross purposes. 
 
 
 
¶6.      (SBU) While the plan lays the groundwork for tackling 
guns and gangs now, it also recognizes the need for outside 
assistance, such as that already received from the FBI on 
January 4-6 (REFTEL A) and that now in the planning stages.  The 
BPS is seeking more help in crisis management, crime scene 
examination, forensic pathology, and close protection. RSO is 
working with DS/ATA to identify immediate assistance with 
regards to VIP Protection training.  Further discussions are 
underway to determine whether long-term DS-provided training can 
be organized.  Post has guarded confidence that the BPS is on 
the right track and that the support from the community and 
government it is now enjoying will pave the way for reduced 
crime in the future. 
SHELTON