One of the fundamental responsibilities of any government is the security of our citizens and ensuring a safe environment in which all can thrive.
This requires a multidimensional approach, beginning with valuing all our uniformed personnel by providing the best possible conditions of service and physical environment.
It also requires vigorously confronting the manifestations of crime, and crime itself, by a unified approach by all social agencies and our uniformed services, as well as the utilization of all modern approaches and tools.
The OBA values our uniformed services. Their performance during the Covid-19 crisis underscored their commitment and diligence and we all owe them our gratitude for their service.
They worked above and beyond anything we could have asked, putting their lives at risk due to a lack of PPE and other resources necessary to carry out their duties because of disrespect by the Burt administration.
The contempt of the Burt administration for this vital arm of governance is also clearly evident in the unhealthy conditions in which some of our uniformed sectors work, including our Prison officers.
Instead of dealing with these serious issues, the Burt administration is threatening cuts which will only negatively impact the safety of our nation.
The improvement of all our uniformed services and providing a modern and workable structure for Restorative Justice will be a pillar of the OBA Government.
They deserve the support of all Bermudians and a Government that cares.
The OBA believes that the criminal justice system is not designed to solve the myriad of social issues facing the community.
Rather than relying strictly on our police officers, magistrates and prison officers to solve these social issues, the OBA believes that it is high time to introduce a restorative justice programme to Bermuda.
The ultimate result will be the building of stronger, safer communities by strengthening social support, providing checkpoints for, in particular, early intervention, enhancing institutional dialogue and collaboration and freeing up uniformed personnel to concentrate on the essential core responsibilities of their jobs.