Outgoing senior Policeman Carlton Adams had some worrying things to say about crime in Bermuda in an interview in yesterday's Royal Gazette.

The area of greatest concern, albeit one that is already well known, concerned the unwillingness of witnesses and victims to make complaints to the Police. "Witnesses avoid us like the plague," he said. "When we do contact these people they didn't see anything, they didn't hear anything. That has become a very pronounced change in proportions that affects our ability to do the job."

And he added: "We frequently deal with someone at the hospital who has a wired jaw and is telling us, as best he can, that he doesn't want to make a complaint. There's certainly a level of that kind of behaviour that is disturbing."

Disturbing is right. When people are afraid to either make a complaint or provided a witness statement concerning crimes of serious violence, it tells you that the criminals have the upper hand, because the major reason for refusing to help the Police concerns fear of retaliation.

This is not a new problem, but it is clearly getting worse. Mr. Adams noted that it began in the 1990s and has escalated since. Given that it has been going on for some time, it is worrying that the Police and Government continue to give mainly lip service to remedying the problem. Witness protection laws and methods have been discussed now for some years, but there has been little done of real substance.

To be sure, Attorney General Sen. Kim Wilson announced the formation of a Witness Protection Unit this autumn and promises were made in the November Throne Speech for relocation of witnesses overseas and so forth.

But these items need to be given the highest priority; how many murders and serious assaults need to go unsolved before this community decides that refusal to give evidence is unacceptable? It seems clear that a bait and switch approach is needed. Witnesses who have genuine reasons to fear retaliation need to be given real protection.

At the same time, as Deputy Opposition Leader Trevor Moniz has suggested, all witnesses who are subpoenaed need to know that failure to appear, or failure to give honest evidence, will result in prosecutions for contempt of court. Only then will Bermuda be able to get to grips with crime. Until then, criminals will be able to act with impunity.

Mr. Adams also discussed the twin problems of the profusion of firearms and drugs in the community. No one should doubt that they are linked, because the main use of firearms and other deadly weapons is to protect drug turfs, in the same way that they almost always seem to be used in vendettas.

Mr. Adams stated that Bermuda does not want to admit the enormity of the drugs trade here. Tacit acceptance of the use of marijuana means there is tacit acceptance of crime and its proceeds.

Until the community accepts that upholding the law means upholding all laws, the Police and justice system will face an uphill struggle. It is likely that Bermuda is going to see more crime, not less, in the next 12 months as the recession deepens. When this happens, the Police need the support of the whole community, or more lives will be lost.