Wed, 2010-03-17

Last night (Tuesday, March 16th) at the Francis Patton Primary School, the Eastern Area Command hosted a town hall meeting. The purpose of the town hall meeting was to introduce the Community Action Team (CAT) officers to their community formally and to allow public feedback and discussion by residents on policing initiatives while emphasizing Police working in partnership with the community as outlined in the Policing Plan 2010. This meeting saw just under 100 members of the eastern community come out to listen and interact with the officers.

The crowd was very diverse comprising a cross section of the community: black, white, male, female, young and old, as well as a number of politicians such as - Suzanne Roberts-Holshouser, Michael Dunkley, Minister Derrick Burgess JP, MP, Darius Tucker, MP and former MP Arthur Hodgson. There were also a number of individuals in attendance representing their local Parish Councils.

During the question and answer period, many questions were asked of the assembled body of officers and all questions were answered or at best given a resource where they could receive the desired answer. The CAT officers were able to introduce themselves and present information about some of the initiatives that they are undertaking in the eastern community. Chief Inspector Tracy Adams, the Eastern Area Commander states, “It was a good evening and I am happy with the level of community support. My officers did themselves very well and we were able to build some community cohesion as a result of the meeting. The CATs will be building on this cohesion and working with the community in going forward. I am looking forward to future meetings in the eastern area.”

Over all it was a very good night and the strengthening of the relationship between the Police and the community is well in hand. Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva stated, “This type of meeting is exactly what the police will be doing to build relationships with members of the public and to allow for meaningful discussions about crime and other issues facing our community. The Bermuda Police Service’s approach is about involving everyone in solving community problems by putting most of our energies into the things that matter most. The solid attendance of Members of Parliament, Parish Councils members and local area residents is very assuring that the level of public cooperation is high. We welcome this community spirit and hope the atmosphere will be repeated as we hold future meetings in other parts of the Island.”

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