Six police officers are under investigation after allegations of gross misconduct and criminality.

According to the Bermuda Police Service, one officer has been suspended on full pay for the past three years while inquiries are carried out and a second has been off duty on full pay since March 2021. Both those matters are before the courts.

Of the other cases, one officer was suspended in July 2022, a further two were suspended last month, and one officer was suspended this month. All of those investigations are ongoing.

A police spokesman did not reveal details of the complaints filed against the officers or if they were linked but said that only one suspension was directly connected to their role as a police officer.

Five of the six are facing both criminal and gross misconduct charges, while one is under investigation for allegations of gross misconduct.

Darrin Simons, the Commissioner of Police, said yesterday that in cases of alleged gross misconduct, officers were suspended when “the nature of the allegation makes it inappropriate to redeploy the officer”.

He confirmed that all six officers were on full pay while under investigation, as stipulated in police regulations.

Mr Simons said: “We understand the concerns of the public where police misconduct occurs and assure you that appropriate actions will be taken based on the outcomes of the inquiries and any subsequent legal processes.

“The Bermuda Police Service have a structured performance and conduct regime, which outlines the process to hold officers to account. The majority of our staff are abiding by the standards of professional behaviour underscored in our Code of Ethics and remain committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism.”

Mr Simons also said that details of the allegations and investigations could not be disclosed “due to the sensitivity of these cases and the respect for the integrity of ongoing investigations and legal proceedings”.

Last November, The Royal Gazette revealed that Martin Weekes, the assistant commissioner, was under investigation after being served with internal gross misconduct papers.

The BPS did not name Mr Weekes but did confirm that an officer “remained on duty with some responsibilities varied, pending the outcome of the investigation”. It is not known if Mr Weekes is one of the six cases listed by police yesterday.

In another case last year, Milen Simons was discharged from the force after being convicted of intruding on the privacy of a woman and trespassing on her home.

In 2022, three officers were fired after being convicted of criminal offences.

Lakila Hart, 29, was given a six-month suspended jail sentence in May 2022 after admitting abuse of power and offering to supply drugs while a serving officer.

Jermari Belboda, 27, was given a suspended prison sentence in June 2022 for a sexual assault on a woman colleague committed while he worked for the BPS.

Sean Simons was dismissed in December 2022 after pleading guilty to intruding on the privacy of a woman.

Mr Simons said that members of public who wanted to report incidents of police misconduct could raise their concerns with the Police Complaints Authority, or through the BPS and Crimestoppers websites.

Complainants can also contact Mr Simons directly by e-mail at cop@bps.bm.

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