Police partner with Noble Auto (Update)

Statement by Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva

“The Bermuda Police Service is celebrating 135 years of policing in the community and there is no better way to celebrate that milestone than to highlight the partnership with the public and private high schools of Bermuda and the Bermuda Police Service.

This opportunity allows our skilled and highly trained mechanical staff from the Bermuda Police Service and the trained professionals of Noble Auto with the assistance of various high school students to use a creative and innovative work style and techniques to ultimately create never before seen police vehicle concepts for the 'Police Vehicles Past, Present & Future Convoy’, to be held on October 1st.

I am here with Mr. Fernando Oliveira, Managing Director of Noble Auto and some of the students who will be working on the different vehicles to be customised, most of them former police vehicles.

Those vehicles are:

• Mazda 323 (former unmarked police car)

• KTM 530cc (former off road police motorcycle)

• Suzuki 750cc (former marked police motorcycle)

• Suzuki 600cc (former Grand Prix motorcycle that was owned by PC Stephen Paynter when he participated in motorcycle racing at Southside Race track)

• Public Transportation Board (PTB) Bus (former PTB bus donated to the BPS - to become the Police Community Safety Bus)

As you may remember last year we partnered with Noble Auto to convert a former Suzuki 750cc police motorcycle, which was unveiled at the Police Week 2013 Gymkhana to an enthusiastic audience.

Working with our community partners, especially those that find positive pursuits for our youth, is something that the Bermuda Police Service remains committed to and I would like to thank the CedarBridge Academy administration as well as the staff at Noble Auto for partnering with the Bermuda Police Service. We believe that the ultimate beneficiaries of such collaboration will be Bermuda’s youth.”

Congratulations to the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) and Noble Auto for their programme to introduce high school students to the mechanics trade.

A program such as this is one way to use public resources in private partnership to establish career pathways for youth and plant the seeds of job creation.

It is also a great opportunity for the BPS to use its vast technical resources to assist with training opportunities.

The BPS is establishing a positive relationship with young people not linked to its primary mission of law and good order.. Participating  young people gain knowledge of some of the lesser known career opportunities that support the everyday mission of the Bermuda Police Service.

We encourage the BPS to expand this programme within its organization exposing our young people to other career pathways that are available.

We in the PLP hope there is potential to expand this type of programme with other government departments who have the potential to be centers of excellence for certified training.