Edness calls for police meetings

Retired politician Quinton Edness has called on Government and police to work together to solve the recent plagues of violence.

Speaking in in aftermath of Monday night’s robbery at Raynor’s Gas Station, Mr Edness has suggested communities, police and MPs need to host meetings together to trade information and help keep neighbourhoods safe.

“I am quite sure that a lot of people know who these people are who are committing these offences and all of that can be talked about and we can come up with ways to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

“I have seen this happen way back in the early 70s and we had meetings throughout Bermuda, from Somerset to St George’s.

“The last time we had these problems, it was the MPs that were very active in solving the problem. I attended a number of meetings talking about how we can protect our communities and get people together to have neighbourhood watches.”

He continued: “The other huge thing that we can do is set up communications with the police so we can better inform them of things we see. Right now, all we do is say ‘If you see something, call the police’. That doesn’t really register.

“That will sink in if we talk to the police directly and get them to tell us the best way to communicate. There are all sorts of things that we can do to get this sorted.”

Speaking specifically on the robbery, Mr Edness said: “It’s just gone too far to rob a place like Raynor’s Gas Station. That’s a community business.

“That’s a family business and it’s really close to home. That means none of us are safe. Particularly, I understand there are a lot of burglaries going on in Somerset, Warwick and Pembroke.

“We need to get people out in these various communities. I would like to encourage my fellow Bermudians to get serious.”

A police spokesman said: “The Bermuda Police Service will consider any useful suggestions to help make Bermuda safer.

“Many of our officers are already consistently in contact with the public through community meetings,working in partnership with various community agencies.”

The spokesman added: “The Bermuda Police Service also actively uses social media to keep in direct contact with the community we serve.”

Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley agreed with Mr Edness and said: “Strong communities are the key to meeting the challenge of curbing anti-social behaviour and the effects of violent crime.

“The neighbourhood watch teams and their work with the community action teams of the Bermuda Police Service have had a significant, positive impact in communities around the island.” n

The Bermuda Police Service Central Community Action Team is inviting residents to meet the team at three clinics: Nov 9, Evangelical Church parking lot, Paget, 2pm to 5pm; Nov 16, Grace Communion International parking lot, Devonshire, 2-5pm; Nov 23, City Hall, 2pm to 5pm.