Thu, 2009-08-27

Over the last few days there has been a host of comments in the media as it relates to MV Guardian. The Bermuda Police Service (BPS) takes the unwarranted criticism of our staff very seriously and this matter is of enough concern to us that the Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner are here to address all of the issues. We would like to take this opportunity to correct some of the misconceptions that exist:

• The 'Ayesha' incident occurred on Thursday, August 20th. There was no request from Bermuda Radio or a member of the public for assistance at the time – rescue or tow. When the Marine Unit was informed, a smaller vessel was dispatched to see if any further assistance was required (as the 'Ayesha' was already under tow) but no further assistance was necessary.

• Hurricane Bill – why was MV Guardian taken out of the water? The vessel is berthed at pier 41 in Dockyard. It had to come off the dock because the dock can’t be used in high winds. So the option is the storm mooring in Soncy Bay – but the vulnerability of that is that it is exposed to the south-east. Since we were advised the strongest winds would come from the south-east, the decision was made to slip the boat during the hurricane. If there is any criticism that we did not have the response capability with MV Guardian during the storm it must be made clear that in the interest of safety our procedures would almost never dispatch a vessel during a hurricane. The fact that the boat was slipped is therefore a moot point.

• Guardian was one of the last boats out on Friday afternoon (August 21st) with the intention that it would be the first boat in the water after the storm had passed.

• The learning point for the Police going forward is that we are at the mercy of a private company to slip the boat. This is because the Police do not have the equipment to do it ourselves.

• During the approach of a hurricane the BPS have specific protocols in place. This is to ensure the safety of all of our staff during these unsafe conditions. As you may recall during Hurricane Fabian the BPS suffered a traumatic loss where three members of staff lost their lives and so the safety of our staff during hurricane conditions is of the utmost importance.

• In relation to allegations that our officers were unprofessional in dealing with the medical emergency that occurred on the 'Sundeck 2', we can report that as a result of our enquiries, our officers acted in a most professional manner when they attended this incident.

• The officers have been commended for their professionalism by the husband of the deceased and we have since received a copy of an e-mail addressed to the Editor of the Royal Gazette rebutting comments attributed to the owner of the 'Sundeck 2.'

• As part of our enquiry we recognized that CPR training for our marine officers lapsed. It was an oversight in as much as the first aid qualification and the CPR qualification were dealt with as one. We have done a review and to address these issues our officers will be undertaking the necessary training in the next few days. No direct complaint was made to us about our officers’ conduct; in fact, we have received a letter praising our officers’ efforts.

• In terms of some of the general deployment criticisms of the MV Guardian – Let’s be clear about what this vessel was acquired to do.
  
  • Search and rescue operations within certain wind & sea conditions
  • Capacity to extend beyond the Bermuda reef line
  • Capacity to undertake extended missions i.e. allow rotation of staff by providing sleeping quarters
  • Able to tow larger vessels
  • Assist in the interdiction of illegal drugs and weapons

• Let’s be clear about what it was never meant to do –
  
  • The MV Guardian was never meant as a routine patrol vessel (cost prohibitive nature & resource requirements). We have a number of other vessels that are available to do routine patrol.
  • Not expected to be deployed in adverse conditions. 

Since the purchase of the vessel the senior management of the Service has directed that every opportunity to use the MV Guardian for the purpose it was purchased should be undertaken. However, the use of the vessel has been restricted to very specific search & rescue functions which are within the ability of our officers and the capacity of the vessel. We are constantly training our officers and recently had an officer from the Royal Navy to assess the skills and abilities of our marine staff. And we are continuing to develop a training programme to enhance the skills of our marine officers.

• More Press Releases Here