Ministerial Statement by the Senator, The Hon. Jeffrey Baron, JP
Madame President, the expansion of the CCTV network was a Throne Speech promise this government made in November 2015. I am pleased to advise Senate that at its meeting of yesterday, Cabinet approved the contract for the expansion of the network to St. George's and Dockyard.
Madame President, CCTV is an effective tool in the modern era of policing. Since the implementation of the enhanced network in other parts of the Island, crimes have been prevented, investigations enhanced and valuable evidence provided for prosecutions in the Courts.
While this promise was made before the recent uptick in criminal activity in St. George's, the action of this Government in advancing the expansion of the network is timely and warranted. Significant infrastructure exists as part of the existing contract with the service provider and as such this expansion will form an addendum to that existing contract. This will ensure system integrity and monitoring continuity within the existing framework for CCTV Island-wide.
Madame President, with Dockyard set to host the principal events surrounding the America's Cup, the expansion of CCTV to this area will go some way towards fulfilling Bermuda's security obligations for the event. This added layer of security for the site will add to our ability to host an event of this magnitude in the safest possible fashion.
Madame President, I would be remiss if, as part of this statement, I did not address the renewed call for a police station in St. Georges. In frank terms, it is police presence that enhances safety and deters anti social behaviour, not a bricks and mortar structure. The recent robbery in St. George’s, in which a man has already been charged, was solved speedily because the police were on patrol in the town in spite of their “station” being at Southside.
Police officers out of buildings, engaging with the community is what we must support. It is the officers' presence that we need and that need is being met through sensible deployment of police officers by the Commissioner and his senior command.
Madame President, in a few short months I look forward to further confirming to the Senate, the residents and businesses in Dockyard, and the people of St. Georges in particular that the expanded network is functional and supporting the important security needs of these areas poised to play significant parts in the revitalization of Bermuda's tourism and the economy.
Thank you, Madame President