Ministerial Statement by Senator, the Honourable Lieutenant Colonel David A. Burch, OBE (Mil), ED, JP, Minister of Public Safety and Housing
6 June 2007

Mr. President, I am compelled today to make this statement to put into perspective recent comments on the issue of crime, trust in politics and the relationship between this Government and Government House. It is unfortunate that a consistent flaw in our cultural understanding of the phenomena that is our Constitution makes for fertile ground in the absence of a willingness to advance the truth and genuinely inform the public at large.

As a Minister of this Government, I view that as part of my responsibility and will attempt today to make plain the constitutional truths of governance in Bermuda and the operational and practical effects on the lives of everyday citizens.

Mr. President, contrary to the position consistently put by the Opposition, most recently in a televised address; His Excellency the Governor is solely responsible for the Bermuda Police Service. Lest members opposite, join in their tired refrain and accuse me of fabrication, Section 62 of the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968 sets out what it refers to as the Governor's "special responsibilities". What are these "special responsibilities", Mr. President?

They are:

• External affairs;
• Defence, including the armed forces;
• Internal security; and
• The police.

Mr. President, try as they might, no amount of carping by the Opposition can change the nature of the relationship. As the Minister responsible for public safety, I can confirm that this section of the Constitution is alive and well and is regularly enforced. For some reason Ministers who have occupied this area of responsibility have deemed it necessary to keep this provision from the people of Bermuda and to engage in the smoke and mirrors of talking tough on crime when in effect they have had no responsibility for it, period.

Mr. President, it is time for honesty to prevail. Ministers are regularly pilloried for crime figures, shortages of staff, failure to investigate and all sorts of things beyond their operational control. Mr. President the truth of the matter is that we as politicians with respect to the Bermuda Police Service are forced to influence policy through the public purse. This ridiculous arrangement has outlived its usefulness. It may have been fine when we were a "one-horse town", but Mr. President in this modern era we are in desperate need of an overhaul of this relationship.

Mr. President, the Bermuda Police Service receives $57 million in funding annually. I cannot think of any modern organisation that would provide such funding and then hand over control to someone else.

For me, personally, I am sick and tired of begging for more policemen to be visible. I have tired of endless discussions on the method of operational policing favoured by the Service in 2007. Mr. President I want to be accountable to the people of this country for more than how many police cars were purchased or how much crime fighting software was installed. Mr. President, I wish genuine accountability and that can only come with genuine powers and responsibilities.

I wish to do more than talk tough, I wish to get tough and bring to bear the resources required to properly police this country that I know is the most important thing for the people of this country.

I want to provide comfort to every Bermudian or resident in their home by providing police on the beat or patrolling their neigbourhoods.

I want to ensure that criminal matters are investigated promptly and that people have confidence in the pace at which their complaints are dealt with.

Mr. President, I have a solution to this untenable situation - Section 62 of the Constitution also allows for the Governor to delegate, on certain conditions, his responsibilities for any of those things I listed earlier, to the Premier or any other Minister. Mr. President, I can advise Senate today that I have written to the Governor inviting him to delegate his authority and responsibility for the Police to the Minster with responsibility for Public Safety.

Mr. President, I am not content to perpetuate this bizarre relationship which in effect renders the Minister powerless. Bermuda has real problems and those problems are not insurmountable. However, they require a person with a stake in the process to manage that process. In my view, Mr. President that person cannot be an appointed Governor from England here for a defined period of time and with limited local knowledge.

Our Constitution contemplates this delegation of responsibilities and it is now time for the Governor to do the right thing in the interests of what is best for Bermuda.

Thank you, Mr. President.