Good evening everyone.
I want to begin by welcoming all of you ,and thanking you for taking the time to come out tonight. I genuinely appreciate it. This town hall is important because it gives us a chance to speak directly with one another about the CCTV camera network, to answer your questions, and to listen to your views. I see tonight as part of an open dialogue with the people we serve.
Let me say this plainly: the Government promised in the 2023 Throne Speech that we would deliver an upgraded island-wide CCTV system as part of our work to improve public safety. And I am proud to report that this promise has been kept. The full rollout of the CCTV camera network is nearly 100 percent complete. Across the island, we have 225 cameras installed and integrated, covering 130 locations, giving us 460 camera views.
This network includes different types of cameras-pan-tilt-zoom, multisensory, varifocal, and license plate recognition cameras all designed to provide clear, real-time coverage of key public areas.
The system is operated on a modern fibre network, bringing state-of-the-art technology to our shores. These cameras are not there to spy on people. They are there to support law enforcement in keeping our streets, parks, and neighbourhoods safe. They are an added tool to help deter crime and assist the
Police in solving serious incidents, including the gun and gang violence that has caused so much pain in our community.
But I must stress this: these cameras are not a substitute for what really makes the difference-that is, the people of Bermuda stepping up, standing together, and working with the police.
Technology helps, yes. But it is the courage of residents who come forward, who report what they see, and speak up when they know something that truly helps solve crime. We have seen time and again that when our community engages, when people provide information, the police can act, and we can prevent the next act of violence.
These cameras must be seen as just one part of the solution.
They are a tool, but they cannot replace the role that each of us has in creating a safer Bermuda. It takes a community that refuses to be silent, that refuses to let violence rule our streets.
Community violence is not just a police problem or a government problem. It is a problem we all share.
I also want to speak directly to the concerns some of you have raised about privacy. I hear you. We have listened carefully and taken those concerns seriously. From the start, this system has been designed to respect your privacy. Cameras are focused on public spaces and roadways.
They are not aimed at private homes. We worked closely with the Privacy Commissioner's Office and the PIPA Unit to make sure the system meets Bermuda's privacy laws and that it will continue to do so as those laws evolve. The vendor, Digicel, was required to build in privacy safeguards at both the hardware and software levels.
As for speed detection, I want to be upfront. While the system has laid the groundwork for speed cameras in the future, our focus right now is on general security and supporting the police.
Work on potential speed enforcement is still in the planning stage, and it will involve careful consideration, further testing, and legislative changes before anything is implemented.
This project reflects collaboration: between ministries, the police, external partners like Digicel, BELCO, and the Corporations of Hamilton and St George's. It reflects a shared determination to bring the best technology we can to help protect our island.
I encourage everyone here to think not just about what Government can do or what cameras can do, but about what we can do together as neighbours, as families, as Bermudians who care about the future of this island. I thank you for being here, and I look forward to a good discussion.
Thank you.