Good morning.

As you are all aware, there has been a lot of discussion in the community about the recent shootings and acts of violence. You will also recall that we have held three town hall meetings to hear the community’s views on violence. That conversation has included talk about what the National Violence Reduction Strategy is delivering to address the violence in our country.

What is obvious to me is that people want to understand what has been happening with the Strategy since it was tabled in December of 2024, and they want clear information about where things stand today. I understand the concern. I hear from families, community leaders, and people on the street who tell me that they want to see more action and more coordination. I take that seriously because these issues affect all of us.

I want to be very clear. The police cannot carry this alone. The government cannot carry this alone. No law, no tactic, and no enforcement plan will work if parents, families, neighbourhoods, and the wider community do not stand with us. Violence is not a problem that sits in one corner of this island. It reaches into homes, schools, and churches, and it demands that all of us take responsibility. And let us speak honestly. This is not acceptable, and it is why we need a united and determined community effort if we are serious about stopping the cycle of harm.

Every time I speak on this subject, I stress that point because some people still believe that this is something for the police to fix by themselves. It is not. We must all take responsibility for the environment in which our young people are being raised.
So today, I want to speak about the progress that has been made, the work that is ongoing, and the next steps. I want people to hear directly what has been done, what is new, and how the Strategy is being used as a living plan across government. This is not quick work. It is not light work. It is work that takes time because what we have built through the Strategy has never been done before in Bermuda. This is the first time we have brought together so many ministries, agencies, community groups, service providers, and schools under one coordinated violence reduction framework.
 

One of the significant developments over the past year has been the modernisation of the Parental Responsibility Act. This is one of the early actions coming out of the National Violence Reduction Strategy. The updates will introduce practical and supportive requirements for families, including parenting classes, counselling, and programme participation, instead of relying only on punitive measures.

This work matters because when we provide support to parents and families, we reduce the chance that young people fall into violence. Across the three town halls, many residents spoke honestly about parents needing more support. We heard that clearly, and these reforms reflect what the community has been seeking.

Early intervention is another area where real progress has been made. The Inter Agency Gang Enforcement Team has been reconvened and given an enhanced mandate. This team brings together Police, Education, Health, Social Services, and Justice with the purpose of shifting from responding only after incidents have occurred to creating a coordinated, preventative approach. The team will be used as a case management tool where agencies share information, track referrals, and provide wrap-around support to individuals who are at the highest risk of serious violence. This type of unified structure has not existed before in Bermuda, and it takes time to get all agencies working in a synchronised manner, but that coordination is now taking shape.

The Gang Violence Reduction Team continues to address the root causes of violence, and many of their programmes existed before the Strategy was finalised and actually helped to shape it. These programmes remain active and have steadily grown. The Hype League has supported more than150 young people with structured sports, mentorship, and life skills training. Partnerships with CARE Computer and the Adult Education School are helping young people with opportunities for continued education and employment.

The GVRT also delivers the ‘I AM programme’ in schools, a personal development curriculum focused on emotional regulation, resilience, and self-awareness. It is being refined with the Ministry of Education for an expansion of the programme.

The Strategy also includes national campaigns aimed at changing mindsets and encouraging people to speak openly about trauma, stress, and mental health. The Stop the Violence and Echoes Like Us campaigns has reached more than 200,000 people across digital platforms. Another campaign focused on mental and emotional health was developed to help people find support and reduce stigma. We cannot build solutions if people keep silent about their pain, and these campaigns are sparking conversations that many families have avoided for years.

Looking forward, a National Violence Reduction Strategy Coordinator is scheduled to start in January. This role will provide cross ministry coordination, improve data collection, and monitor the delivery of all NVRS actions. This is another first for Bermuda. We have never had a national coordinator dedicated solely to violence reduction. This post will bring structure, consistency, and accountability to the work.

Another important milestone in the next phase of this work is the formation of the Inter-Agency Community Response (IGCR). This group will act as the coordination centre for enhancing neighbourhood-level prevention, mobilisation, and community safety networks. The IGCR will bring together faith and community leaders, along with community organisations, to support shared responsibility across the island. Early priorities will include relaunching neighbourhood watch initiatives, community training in mediation and trauma awareness, and parish-based mobilisation focused on rebuilding trust, connection, and local leadership. The IGCR is intended to facilitate community action. As demonstrated during the town halls, we understand that genuine progress depends on people stepping forward. We want residents, parents, coaches, elders, and young people to participate in this effort because creating safer neighbourhoods and a safer island cannot be achieved by the Government alone.

I also want to talk about the public conversations that have taken place. As I stated in the House last week, over the past few weeks, we held three town halls on violence reduction with the Governor, the Commissioner of Police and myself. The most recent was on 17 November at Dalton E. Tucker. These meetings were valuable. People came out, they spoke honestly, and they raised points that we need to hear.

The public’s ideas matter, and several of the issues they raised align directly with the Strategy. Feedback on parenting, early intervention, community involvement, and trauma support is shaping how we apply the Strategy in real life.

I now want to speak in detail about the Gang Violence Reduction Team under the leadership of Bishop Leroy Bean, because the public deserves to understand the depth of what they do. A great deal of their work is not seen and cannot be publicised, but it is meaningful, and it definitely saves lives.

Before the Strategy was even created, the GVRT had already been running successful outreach and intervention programmes. In fact, many of the programmes that shaped the Strategy were born from GVRT’s frontline experience. One of the strongest examples is their overseas mission work.

Just before the COVID pandemic, the GVRT took seven young Bermudian men who were known to be from different rival groups and travelled with them as part of a larger group of about forty participants, who travelled to Malawi in Africa. These young men had deep divides at home, but they were placed in an environment where they had to live together, work together, and rely on each other. They travelled, they built, they served, and they learned.

For many of them, it was the first time they had stepped outside the island, and it forced them to put their differences aside. That mission created breakthroughs in trust and relationships that would never have happened on our streets. It was one of the most powerful interventions the GVRT has run, and it showed what can happen when you remove young men from the environment that feeds conflict.

A new overseas mission is being planned, this time with an even larger group. I want to be clear that the young men selected for these trips are not random participants. They are already in GVRT programmes, already being mentored and identified as young men who need structured support and intervention. These trips are part of a deliberate strategy to change mindsets and break down rivalries in a practical, life- changing way.

The GVRT also sponsors community clubs and is working to develop new programmes that shift how young men think about themselves and their future. They deal directly with behaviour therapy, because if behaviour does not change, the cycle continues. They work with young people affected by generational trauma; trauma that has passed from one generation to the next. Changing that takes time, patience, and consistent support.

I also want to speak about the role of Bishop Bean himself. Many times, while the country is asleep, he is out at all hours in the morning, counselling families, calming tensions, and preventing retaliation. He intervenes before, during, and after incidents. He works quietly with families who are dealing with grief, shock, anger, and fear. He engages directly with young men and women who are on the brink of making life-altering decisions. He steps in between rival groups to prevent violence from escalating. This work is unseen, but its impact is measured in lives not lost.

The GVRT is not responsible for stopping all violence. No group can carry that expectation. Their mission is to help young people transition from antisocial behaviour and into pro- social, productive lifestyles. They do that work every day in schools, in neighbourhoods, in clubs, in homes, and in the streets. They do it quietly, and they do it consistently.

I will close by saying this: Violence remains one of the most serious threats facing Bermuda. It affects our families, our neighbourhoods, the safety of our young people, and the strength of our future. The public wants real change, and I want real change. But meaningful progress takes time. This Strategy represents a long-term shift in how we deal with violence in our country. It is not a slogan, and it is not a show. It is a structured plan that is being worked on every day across ministries, agencies, and community partners. We are seeing progress, but we are far from finished. We will keep moving forward, keep tightening our approach, and keep working with the public to bring down violence and anti-social behaviour. Bermuda deserves nothing less.