Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide this Honourable House with an update on the recruitment efforts currently underway across the uniformed services and departments that fall under the remit of the Ministry of National Security.

Mr. Speaker, ensuring that our services remain properly staffed, professionally trained, and operationally ready is essential to maintaining public safety and national security. The Ministry therefore continues to work closely with each department to support recruitment initiatives, address existing vacancies, and ensure that Bermuda’s essential services remain capable of responding to the needs of our community.

Mr. Speaker, across the Ministry, recruitment activity remains active and ongoing. While we continue to see strong interest from members of the public who wish to serve, the reality of uniformed and operational roles is that candidates must meet rigorous standards. Physical fitness, medical suitability, psychological assessments, background vetting, and professional competency are all critical components of the selection process. As a result, while application numbers are often high, the number of candidates who ultimately meet the full suitability requirements is more limited.

Mr. Speaker, at the same time, the Ministry must continue to manage natural workforce turnover, including mandatory retirements within several services. This makes it necessary to maintain a steady recruitment effort to ensure operational continuity and maintain the capabilities required to serve the public.

Mr. Speaker, within the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service, there are currently eleven uniformed officer vacancies, comprising nine firefighter posts and two Lieutenant positions. The Service recently completed a recruitment process in which sixteen applicants were interviewed. From this pool, nine recruits were successfully selected and will commence training on the 1st of April 2026. This intake will increase frontline firefighting capacity while the Service prepares for a further recruitment exercise later this year to address anticipated retirements and maintain appropriate staffing levels.

Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Police Service continues to progress with two active Recruit Foundation Courses as part of its ongoing recruitment programme. Recruit Foundation Course 86 currently has seventeen active applicants and is in the final medical assessment stage, with reports expected by the end of March 2026. Once these clearances are completed, the cohort is expected to commence training in May 2026.

Mr. Speaker, Recruit Foundation Course 87 currently has twenty-seven active applicants who are progressing through the recruitment process, with vetting, medical assessments, and interviews still to be completed. At present, the Bermuda Police Service has approximately forty-seven vacancies. While the Service aims to onboard as many suitable candidates as possible through the current recruitment cycles, final intake numbers will depend on the successful completion of all suitability requirements.

Mr. Speaker, the BPS intends to commence it next local recruitment cycle for Recruit Foundation Course 88 in April 2026. The Bermuda Police Service is also developing a pool of suitably qualified overseas applicants who may be called upon, where necessary, to supplement local recruitment. Maintaining such a pipeline allows the Service to respond more efficiently to operational staffing requirements while continuing to prioritise the recruitment and development of Bermudians.

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Bermuda Regiment also continues to maintain an active recruitment pipeline. The Regiment recently completed a recruitment round that resulted in twenty-two successful candidates commencing recruit camp in February of this year. In addition, there are currently twenty-five potential recruits within the active recruitment pool.

The next intake is scheduled for the 5th of July. The Regiment currently has forty-four unfilled part-time positions as well as two full-time staff posts. Recruitment efforts therefore remain ongoing to ensure that the Regiment maintains the numbers required to fulfil its important national roles, including domestic operations and support to civil authorities.

Mr. Speaker, within the Department of National Drug Control, there are currently eleven vacant posts across a range of clinical and treatment support roles. The Department has already received approval for the recruitment of an overseas Addiction Counsellor who is presently awaiting onboarding.

Mr. Speaker, several additional positions, including Addiction Counsellors, Treatment Coordinator, and Clinical Coordinator roles, have been advertised and are progressing through the interview process during March of this year. Temporary relief arrangements are currently in place to ensure continuity of service while permanent appointments are finalised.

In addition, three Addiction Treatment Support Workers are scheduled to commence employment on the 1st of April 2026. These appointments will increase the Department’s capacity to deliver treatment and recovery services. The Department also continues to benefit from the support of a senior clinical contractor who is assisting with clinical supervision, programme development, and preparations for CARF accreditation.

Mr. Speaker, the Customs Department also continues to advance its recruitment efforts to support Bermuda’s border security operations. The Department currently reports fifty-two uniformed officer vacancies, of which fourteen posts are funded. Customs is presently conducting a recruitment exercise to hire twenty new officers from a pool of two hundred and thirty-eight applicants.

Mr. Speaker, fitness testing has recently been conducted, with additional stages including drug testing, medical examinations, and interviews scheduled to take place during the coming weeks. Subject to successful completion of these stages, the Department anticipates that the next group of recruits will commence training on the 1st of June 2026.

The Department most recently passed out thirteen new officers and plans to conduct another recruitment campaign in August 2026 to continue increasing operational staffing.

Mr. Speaker, taken together, these recruitment activities demonstrate that sustained work is underway across the Ministry to maintain the staffing and operational readiness of Bermuda’s security and public safety services. While recruitment within these fields is demanding and highly selective, the continued interest shown by members of the public reflects the strong sense of service that exists within our community.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognise that maintaining capable operational services is not achieved through a single recruitment exercise.

It requires continuous workforce planning, ongoing recruitment pipelines, and a commitment to training and professional development. As retirements occur and operational demands evolve, the Ministry must remain proactive in ensuring that the next generation of officers, firefighters, and public safety professionals are prepared to step forward and serve.

Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of National Security will therefore continue working closely with its departments to support recruitment, develop training pathways, and ensure that each service has the personnel it requires to carry out its mandate effectively. Our objective remains clear: to maintain capable services that can protect our borders, support our communities, and respond effectively in times of emergency.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the men and women who serve within these departments. Their work often takes place out of the public eye, yet it is essential to the safety and stability of our Island. The Government remains committed to supporting them by ensuring that their services are properly staffed and equipped to carry out their responsibilities.

Recruitment efforts will continue throughout the coming months, and the Ministry will remain focused on ensuring that Bermuda’s public safety services are prepared to meet the needs of the community.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.