A Limey In Bermuda

Stolen?

The Premier's speech at the PLP banquet on Saturday evening used the word "stolen" in relation to the BHC dossier 13 times. The last I heard, however, it had still not been established whether the dossier was actually stolen or...

Conscription: Poll results

Readers of this site are divided over the merits of conscription as a means of providing the Bermuda Regiment with recruits, according to an unscientific poll that I’ve been running for the last couple of weeks. While 51% of respondents...

Prisoners?

Fellow blogger Denis Pitcher writes about his first week as a new conscript in the Bermuda Regiment. It doesn't sound like he's having much fun. "Being required by law to join regiment is little different from being imprisoned or enslaved......

How he spent your money

In case you missed last week’s open house at 21 Tee Street – the former home of convicted BHC fraudster Terrence Smith - you can see what he spent your tax money on here.

Outstandingly bad

There’s nothing new about the news that Bermuda has a staggering number of outstanding arrest warrants. In July this year, the Mid Ocean News reported that there were 5,000 outstanding warrants, although at the time police spokesman Dwayne Caines admitted...

The lessons of Florence

During hurricane Florence, Bermuda suffered downed power lines, damage to the Causeway, and looting. So it's perhaps not surprising that some people are calling for power lines to be put underground, a more durable connection to the East End, and...

Open mike: The JEWEL initiative

The following submission was sent in by Jonathan Starling. With Hurricane Florence threatening, there is a need for grassroots self-reliance and social responsibility. I became a Regimental conscript in January 2003. I left the Regiment as a full Corporal in...

Hypocrisy 911

Earlier this week, the police announced that they will now stop drivers and motorcyclists who use cell phones while on the road. They've apparently decided that they don’t need to wait for new legislation to crack down on the practice,...

Rank hypocrisy

Earlier today, I ran an errand for my mother-in-law, dropping off the Littlewoods pools entries from St. George's at Littlewoods' Hamilton office. To get there, I had to make my way through the grimy interior of the Sea Horses betting...

Bermuda's gangs

Much has been said and printed about gangs in Bermuda. The Royal Gazette recently ran a commendable series where they attempted to explain the gang phenomena by speaking with young Bermudians, some of whom had had direct involvement with local...

Let 'em sweat

You have to wonder whether Bermuda has gone soft on crime when we feel the need to provide shade for those arrested after a high-speed chase.

Not alone

So you think that Bermuda is the only island struggling with a surge in violent crime? With unprecedented levels of drug-related gang violence, kidnappings and murders threatening to soil the English-speaking Caribbean's idyllic image, an increasing number of governments around...

Maxwell's war

The UBP have unveiled more details about their new strategy for fighting Bermuda's rising tide of violencei "In all my life I have never lived in a more violent and crime-ridden society," said Shadow Minister of Public Safety, Maxwell Burgess....

Open mike: Shooting on Ord Road

jake reports on the shooting on Ord Road last night: "If you live in Ord Road, you woke this morning to policemen, cars, guns and yellow tape. Your driveway was blocked by a police sedan, which was replaced by a...

CCTV on Court Street

At last, the CCTV cameras are up and running on Court Street. And Steve Simons, chairman of the Uptown Market Association, thinks they're already having an effect: "The atmosphere on the street has changed since the cameras went up. I...

Open mike: Double jeopardy

The following article was written by onevote. Because of its length, I decided it would be easier to read if I did not indent it, as is my normal policy when posting reader-submitted commentary. Out of frustration over the continuing...

So what, Mr. Scott?

Premier Alex Scott reassures the country following last week's ride-by shooting at the South Shore Swizzle Inn: "This Government has zero tolerance for crimes of this nature..." Gotta get that "zero tolerance" buzz-word in there. "..and such a heinous and...

Draft dodgers

Over 20% of those called up for service in the Bermuda Regiment this year failed to show or were exempted, according to a statement by the UK’s Europe Minister, Geoff Hoon. The statement was issued in response to a written...

Criminal relativism

Is a crime worse if its victim is a visitor instead of a resident? Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell seems to think so: “A crime against a visitor is a crime against the economy and the perpetrator should get a...

Fire first, ask questions later

According to Chris Backeberg, programmes director for drug-testing firm Benedict Associates, Bermuda’s companies need to do more to help employees with drug problems: “Companies have a duty to tackle this. If you’ve identified a problem, be willing to be part...

Justifiable discrimination

I was shocked to read that the amendments to the Human Rights Act that were passed by the Senate yesterday now make it an offence to discriminate against someone because they have a criminal record. I must be missing something....

Increased penalty zones

Takbir Sharrieff, of Bermudians Against Narcotics (BAN), wants to add Court Street, St. Monica's Road and Cambridge Road to the list of "increased penalty zones", where violent crime is punished more severely. Why so timid, Mr. Sharrieff? A shooting or...

Educating Private Ryan

Earlier this month, the Government introduced a scheme to enable soldiers in the Bermuda Regiment to receive special grants to further their education at the Bermuda College. Last week, the Shadow Minister for Race Relations and Economic Empowerment, Jamahl Simmons,...

Policing Harbour Nights

Earlier this year, the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) had its budget upped to $53.9 million. It was an increase of 7%, almost three times the current rate of inflation. So why is the Service now demanding that it be paid...

Gunfire on Court Street

It was always naive to think that Court Street's problems could be solved by a lick of paint. When a gunman entered the Swinging Doors nightclub and shot and injured three people this morning, it demonstrated why. Less than a...

Downgrading marijuana

National Drug Control Minister Wayne Perinchief is backing the partial decriminalisation of marijuana. It's about time. Mr. Perinchief is right that "the punitive effect of a marijuana conviction outweighs the crime". I don't agree that marijuana users are "victims" of...

DPP will not reopen Middleton case

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Vinette Graham-Allen, has concluded her review of the Rebecca Middleton case. Regrettably, she has decided that no new charges can be brought against Kirk Mundy and Justis Smith. Bring on Cherie Booth.

Trouble at the DPP

She was reluctant to review the Rebecca Middleton case. The family of Shaundae Jones, whose murderer has also escaped justice, accused her of being "hostile and insensitive" to them, and questioned her decision to assign two "rookies" to their case....

Child abuse

Tiger Bay writes about the 436 cases of reported child abuse or neglect in Bermuda last year: "That's a terrible statistic for a community the size of Bermuda - that's more than 4% of our school age children! Abuse and...

Whineo

While packing a bottle of wine in a plastic carrier bag at the grocery store this afternoon, I was reprimanded by the girl on the till. She told me that I had to put it in a brown paper bag...

A little coastguard

Dark and Stormy's Bill Davidson has mixed feelings about the Premier's suggestion that the role of the Bermuda Regiment be expanded to include "a little coastguard": "[This is] something I have been an advocate of for many years. Sadly enough,...

Not in Xanadu anymore

Earlier this week a Bermudian mechanic admitted trying to smuggle more than $100,000 worth of cocaine into the UK. Drug smuggling is the kind of activity that requires you to keep a low profile. Which would seem to make it...

Girls gone wild

Some people seem to have been upset by a video showing several young women exposing themselves while dancing in a local nightclub. The most shocking close-up scenes – lasting no more than five minutes – include a woman in crotchless...

Do as I say, not as I do

I'm opposed to mandatory drug testing in the workplace, for reasons that I've stated before. I don't support testing for MPs for the same reasons. However for Minister of National Drug Control, Wayne Perinchief, to keep calling for the former...

Open mike: Child molesters

Linda says: "We have just had the conclusion of another case where a step-grandfather was found guilty of sexual misconduct (such a tidy phrase) against two little girls. He was sentenced to 16 months. He'll probably do about eight. These...

The Robinson petition

Why would the Royal Gazette run a story about a online petition to clear the name of Dennis Robinson, one of the murderers of the Cooper twins, then not give the website's address? I hope it wasn't a deliberate omission....

Open mike: Wayne Perinchief's credibility

Another chance to talk about a subject of your choice. First comment sets the topic for debate. If you ask a question, please say what you think about the subject too, even if it's in a subsequent comment. And if...

The young and the worthless

What's wrong with this picture? "Ten-year jail terms have been handed down to three men convicted of trying to murder a man when violence erupted at Wellington Oval... [The defendants] waved to friends and relatives who packed the public gallery,...

Human rights and the Bermuda Regiment

The Bermuda Regiment was criticised in the British parliament yesterday, during a debate on the Armed Forces Bill. Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay pointed to Bermuda’s compulsory national service for men as indicating the existence of gender discrimination. In addition, he...

Random drug testing

I don't smoke, inject, inhale or otherwise consume any kind of illegal narcotic. I support random drug testing in sports, where the use of performance-enhancing drugs is tantamount to cheating. I believe that community leaders, including politicians, should set an...

Treading on toes

In an interview with the Royal Gazette today, the new Minister of National Drug Control, Wayne Perinchief, outlined a number of things he'd like to see done to tackle Bermuda's drugs problem. But I was struck by how hesitant he...

Open mike: Supporting the police

Another chance to talk about a subject of your choice. First comment sets the topic for debate. Be sure to offer your own answers to any questions you may ask, even if it's in a subsequent comment. » chapa asks:...

Drugs tsar

Is the creation of the new National Drug Control Ministry a good idea? While details of the new Ministry will not be revealed until tomorrow’s Throne Speech, appointee Wayne Perinchief described its responsibilities as implementing policy on how the police...

Killing the killers

Royal Gazette Opinion, Thursday 29 September 2005 Earlier this year, Dame Lois Browne Evans made a rather odd comment. During a meeting of the Bermuda Independence Commission, she suggested that independence could pave the way for the reintroduction of capital...

Killing the killers: Poll results

Over the last few weeks I've been running a poll seeking current opinions on capital punishment. The results were as follows. Capital Punishment Should Bermuda bring back hanging (or any other form of capital punishment)? [834 votes total] Yes (316)...

Of course it's flawed

"Judge finds Rights Act is flawed" said the headline in Saturday's Royal Gazette. A Supreme Court judge has blown the whistle on “serious” flaws in the Human Rights Act which have prevented at least one complaint of discrimination being heard...

Toying with danger

Police are asking parents to make sure their children aren't playing with toy guns that could be mistaken for real weapons - lest they get shot by over-zealous firearms officers. Armed officers were nearly called to a scene on Tuesday...

You should not have hired him at all

The leader of the church that knowingly hired a convicted paedophile as its musical director today conceded that it had been a mistake. But I'm still not convinced that the church has learned its lesson. The leader said he would...

STOP! Don't Chop!

So shouted the headline from the Government ads that ran in the Royal Gazette last week. The Government had just passed a new law mandating at least 3 years in prison for anyone caught with a bladed or pointed weapon...

So Much For Zero Tolerance

I was driving home on Monday evening when I came to the bridge in Flatts Village by the aquarium. You know, the one that has not one, not two, but four signs on it saying "No Fishing". As often seems...