- 9 hours ago
Policing Paradise Season 2 Episode 1
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Short filmTranscript
00:01Welcome to Bermuda, an island in the middle of the Atlantic.
00:08I wouldn't want to police anywhere else. It's paradise.
00:12A police service tackling crime.
00:15Looks like a whole made machete, doesn't it?
00:18To keep this British Overseas Territory safe.
00:22We've got a bike failing to stop.
00:26Right now, you're swearing at me and I'm disrespectful.
00:30Up close to investigations.
00:33One of the most dangerous drugs in the market today is a killer.
00:37Is there extra pressure with it being linked to a murder? I'd say so.
00:41Catching criminals at the border.
00:43You are being placed under arrest for suspicion of conspiracy to employ drugs in Trinidad.
00:48At the airport.
00:49K9 has shown interest in your bags.
00:53And on the wheelchair.
00:55You're walking away from my officer.
00:57Can you stop the boat, please?
00:59With the busy summer here.
01:01Please get back, please.
01:02Go back, go back.
01:03This is peak season for the police.
01:06Go, go, go, go, go.
01:10See a kind of view in it?
01:11Mm-hmm.
01:15In Bermuda today, sniffing out suspicious cargo at the airport.
01:26Lethal weapons seized at the roadside.
01:34And a man of mystery.
01:36And you don't remember your name?
01:39Proves a tough case to crack.
01:41I'm going to get you some help, Kate.
01:42We're going to solve it together, all right?
01:46Bermuda is a small island community where everyone looks out for each other.
01:54You soon learn, as a young constable in Bermuda, that community is the pillar of everything, and you have to
02:00be a community police officer.
02:02Everybody knows you, everybody knows your name, and expects you to pretty much be on duty all the time.
02:10You see everybody, you know everyone, there's people you recognize all the time.
02:14You know, 60,000 people, not a big population.
02:19And it's not a young one, with one in five islanders over 60.
02:26Most of our population is hitting that elderly bit where they need help.
02:30And in such a tight-knit community, we do go out of our way to help people.
02:40From Somerset Police Station, heading out in the community on a 12-hour shift, is experienced officer, police constable Eddie
02:48Smith, who's been in the force for over 30 years.
02:52I enjoy the job.
02:55I enjoy making police a human, dealing with people.
02:58That's probably my biggest joy.
03:01Today, he's partnered with rookie police constable Jamila Sabir.
03:05She completed her training just a few months ago.
03:09I've been lucky to work with a lot of seasoned officers.
03:13I feel like I'm just taking in everything like a sponge and trying to get all the information.
03:19I would say my favorite thing about policing would be investigating stuff, like getting to the bottom of incidents.
03:27I also do enjoy speeding in the cars as well.
03:32That is fun.
03:36On the agenda today is stop and search, also known as 315F checks, which too often will result in some
03:44alarming discoveries.
03:46Basically, we can pull over any car, any bike, and we can search them.
03:53A big thing that we find are knives. A lot of people carry knives.
03:59I was very unaware how much people have weapons on them.
04:03That was something that was very shocking to me.
04:07They set up a checkpoint on one of the island's main roads.
04:11Eddie carries out the first stop.
04:13Whiskey three hours and five.
04:15Can I get a check on a motorcycle?
04:16Are you doing today, Chief?
04:20Just confirm black Honda ADV 150.
04:25Almost every check that we've done or operation we've carried out, we have seized our weapon.
04:31Yeah, that's all.
04:33Thank you, Chief. Appreciate you. Have a safe.
04:35We made a few stops.
04:37Stopped quite a few vehicles.
04:39They were fine.
04:40Okay, so...
04:41And they're also joined by Sergeant Mervyn Homer.
04:45So far, today's searches have all been clear.
04:48So, if you do get stopped by other police officers, you just show them that.
04:52Thank you so much.
04:55Then, Sergeant Mervyn makes a discovery.
04:59The man he stopped has nothing on his person.
05:03But a search of his bike uncovers a dangerous weapon.
05:08A knife was found in his bike seat.
05:12The knife is a double switchblade.
05:14Carrying it is against the law.
05:17The man seems unfazed by what the officers have found.
05:22But he will be placed under arrest and his lethal weapon seized.
05:29It can cause some severe damage.
05:31It's a scary-looking item.
05:46Cars were not permitted in Bermuda until 1946.
05:51And even now, only residents can drive.
06:03And for Sergeant Milton Joshua Hill, there's only one way to get around.
06:09What I love about being on the bike is that independence.
06:12You're out in the hot weather.
06:14You're enjoying the island.
06:15And you get to kind of win in your hair or lack thereof.
06:19Today, Sergeant Milton's patrolling the central parishes of Pembroke and Warwick.
06:25Every day is a fishing day, but not every day is a catching day.
06:28The idea is that you should be out there looking.
06:30But you're not always going to find it, right?
06:35Before you drive off next time, all right?
06:37He hopes any brush with the law will make road users think twice about safety.
06:45I want more than catching people is a change in behaviour.
06:50Can you turn the car off for me, please?
06:52Stopping things, talking to people.
06:55I try and do a little bit of education with it.
06:58Just be mindful.
06:59Just have that, like, spidey sense going on there.
07:02Any time anything's stopping at a crosswalk,
07:03kind of slow down until you realize why they're stopping.
07:06All right?
07:07Sometimes that conversation will make more impact on the person changing their behaviour
07:12than just getting the ticket.
07:14Just thinking of that a little bit, drive a little defensively.
07:16All right, take care.
07:24Before long, Sergeant Milton is alerted to a possible man in distress.
07:29And he wastes no time getting to the scene.
07:38How you doing, sir?
07:39You okay?
07:42I just want to make sure you're okay.
07:45An elderly man has been reported as wandering lost and confused.
07:51Where do you live?
07:54It was clear as soon as I started speaking to him,
07:57that this man doesn't know where he is.
08:01Can you point to your house?
08:08You don't know where you live?
08:12This elderly gentleman wasn't able to tell me his name,
08:15and in particular, wasn't able to describe where home was.
08:19Do you remember your birthday?
08:21Yes.
08:21When's your birthday?
08:23No.
08:24You don't remember your birthday?
08:25You just say yes.
08:26Yes.
08:27Do you remember what month it is?
08:29Yes.
08:31What month's your birthday?
08:34April?
08:35May?
08:37Well, you can't remember.
08:40And you don't remember your name?
08:44It always makes me worried to see someone in that state.
08:47So I knew I had to try and help him, but trying to figure out how to get him home
08:51was a challenge.
08:52You appear to be a little confused when you're talking to me.
08:56And leaving a vulnerable man near a busy road isn't an option.
09:01I know I'm not leaving this man.
09:03Like, until I find somewhere to take him, he's not getting left behind.
09:07With no known name or address, Sergeant Milton has a mystery on his hands.
09:12I'm going to get you some help, Kate.
09:14We're going to solve it together, all right?
09:32In the east of the island is Bermuda's International Airport.
09:42Patrolled by Police Constable Paul Watson, known as Geordie.
09:46Good to meet you, mate. How are you? You good?
09:49Whose trademark is his traditional Bobby's helmet.
09:55The British officer is a familiar face among regular passengers and cabin crew alike.
10:05He works on the ground with customs officers to protect the community against drugs coming onto the island.
10:14There's always been, as a port of entry, a small percentage of people bringing drugs in.
10:21And it is a small percentage for the travelling passengers that we get.
10:28If drugs are found, the penalty is severe, up to 25 years in prison.
10:37But Officer Geordie knows all too well drug runners take the risk for the high payouts.
10:43You can buy cannabis in Canada and the UK for a reasonably small amount.
10:49And I think right now a small can of poke of weed is going for $50.
10:54And so a lot of money can be made from a very small amount of drugs.
10:58And that's why people import it.
11:02A flight from Canada has just landed.
11:06So I have to... This tape goes, actually.
11:09How's it going?
11:11He is ready to go.
11:13Customs officer Malcolm Martin and his sniffer dog Zorro are sent in to search the cabin.
11:21Speed is of the essence in the quick turnaround.
11:25Zorro is not only looking for narcotics.
11:28He's also trained to search for firearms.
11:31Any alert he makes is when police officers step in.
11:36Customs are always our primacy, so they take the lead on anything coming into Bermuda.
11:40If they find any items that are liable to seizure, they'll give me a call or one of the other
11:45officers in the unit a call.
11:49In just five minutes, Zorro has done a full sweep.
11:53Thank you, guys.
11:54And given it the all clear.
12:02With the luggage now off the flight, Zorro is ready to begin his search in the baggage area.
12:07You get to know the different reactions to different smells.
12:11He's a very intelligent dog, this one.
12:15Or at least probably more intelligent than his handler.
12:20Out of the hundreds of bags on the flight,
12:26there's one that's caught Zorro's attention.
12:36Moments later, another is also identified.
12:42There's an odor to these bags that's caught his attention.
12:46Malcolm photographs the bags, then returns them to the conveyor belt.
12:55He must quickly alert customs officers in the terminal.
12:59So we have to put the bags back onto the belt, let them go back inside,
13:03see who picks them up and who claims the bags.
13:05And as they go through customs, I'll let the officers know exactly which ones,
13:08which bags to keep, to focus in on, and stuff like that.
13:13While we're doing that as well, keeping our eyes out for anybody that's acting in any sort of way,
13:18and giving off any signs of anything while we're doing this.
13:22I've been doing this now for 16 years, so you get to see things pop out.
13:26You look for stuff that's out of the norm.
13:28It's being hyper-aware of what's going on.
13:32Malcolm spots the suspicious bags being collected.
13:35So we're good to go.
13:38And heads for the customs desk to give them the signal.
13:43So once the passenger comes up, I'll quietly just tell this officer to sit here.
13:49The unsuspecting passengers are in sight.
13:53With the bag owners identified,
13:55they're taken to the control area to be searched.
14:10So, sir, I don't feel comfortable leaving you here,
14:14if you're not able to tell me, like, who you are and where you live, okay?
14:19Sergeant Milton has been called to the side of the road to assist an elderly male,
14:23who appears confused and vulnerable.
14:27I got to make sure you're all right, okay?
14:29I have a duty of care to make sure you're okay.
14:31And you appear to be a little confused when you're talking to me.
14:37I'm trying to help you get home.
14:41So in a bit of a bind, because I don't want to leave this person on the side of the
14:46road.
14:47I want to make sure he gets him safe.
14:48I'm trying to get to know you.
14:51But I cannot identify where he lives, who he is.
14:56But do you like sitting right here?
14:58This is one of your, um, spots you like to hang out?
15:03Yeah, Mike through to Oscar.
15:04My 1030 is Glebe Road, near Bishop Spence Road.
15:08I have an elderly gentleman here who I fear he might be suffering a bit of memory loss.
15:13Do you have, uh, four wheels that maybe can try and assist him?
15:17Maybe you can try and figure out where he lives and get him back home?
15:21You don't want to just have a seat and wait for the car to give you a lift home?
15:26I've dealt with quite a few situations with, um, senior citizens going through this.
15:30In fact, my own grandfather is starting to have a little bit of dementia issues and things.
15:35So it is something that helping them is also of personal nature because I'm dealing with it in my family
15:40as well.
15:41Hey, Kim. Yes.
15:43I'll take a picture. I can take a picture and you see if you know him because he's not able
15:47to tell me nothing.
15:49Sergeant Milton calls to base for assistance.
15:53Okay.
15:55So I'm going to have some other people that are going to try and see if they can find out
15:58where you live, okay?
15:59So I'm going to send them a picture of you, okay?
16:02We're trying to help each other.
16:05Policing in Bermuda is much more about service and helping people.
16:09And our small community means that people know a lot of police officers personally as well.
16:15So it's easy to reach out. It's like, that's so common here.
16:18I'm going to try and help you out, okay?
16:20It's a 25-minute wait for the squad car, but Officer Milton will stay with him.
16:26For me, partially, dealing with vulnerable people, I'll give you all the time in the world.
16:29If it goes over the end of my shift and I'm still stuck with you, I'm still stuck with you.
16:35But the man is getting restless.
16:38No, no. I have a car coming. We're going to help get you home.
16:43Okay.
16:47You want me to come sit down with you?
16:49Will that make you feel better?
16:51Yeah.
16:52Okay, I'll come sit down with you.
17:01Come on, bless us.
17:02Sit down. I got a car on the way.
17:05You better get a nice lift back home.
17:08No sooner does he sit down.
17:11All right.
17:13When the man takes off.
17:16Walking down the middle of the road.
17:21Concerned for his safety, Sergeant Milton sticks with him.
17:34As the man continues, Sergeant Milton keeps close behind, ready to alert oncoming traffic.
17:42It's proving a tricky task that Sergeant Milton won't give up.
17:47He can't tell me where he is.
17:49I don't know if he's close.
17:51It wasn't going to be as simple as, hey, sir, let me just walk you back home.
17:54I thought we were going to go to the end of the earth to try and help this guy out.
18:09Officers Eddie and Jamila have found a dangerous weapon on a rider during a routine stop-and-search.
18:16The man riding the bike where the knife was found is placed under immediate arrest.
18:21You're not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so, whatever you say.
18:24They'll be taken on in evidence and they'll be given in the way.
18:27Should I cough him?
18:28Yeah, absolutely.
18:29So just go like this for me?
18:30He'll be transported directly to Hamilton Station.
18:39A knife with a blade over three inches long counts as a weapon unless there's a good reason
18:44to be carrying it.
18:53a knife with a knife.
18:54One knife, two blades.
18:55One knife, two blades.
18:58At the station, Custody Sergeant Francis Blackman is on duty.
19:04Sir, just step forward and let me speak to you, please.
19:07The man seems unfazed by the arrest.
19:10So, the circumstances of this arrest, as they relate to me, officers were conducting a stop-and-search
19:18operation and the searchy cycle revealed a silver four-line pocket knife with two blades.
19:23Do you understand what he said to you?
19:25Yeah.
19:27All right.
19:28So, based on what they've told me, I am authorizing your detention at this time.
19:36The officers are reassured that his knife will no longer be on the streets.
19:42A knife like that can do a lot of damage to somebody.
19:45It can cause serious, even fatal injury to an individual.
19:49It's something I'd never seen before.
19:52It's concerning, you know, that somebody even has something designed like that in Bermuda.
20:01The confiscated knife will be held as evidence, with other prohibited items amassed by Sergeant Brian McNabb.
20:09These have all been seized at some point in time.
20:12Looking at some of the major things.
20:15This samurai sword, we don't have a lot of them coming in, but occasionally they do.
20:20Other weapons are a more familiar sight for Assistant Commissioner Martin Weeks.
20:26The classic machete.
20:27Yeah.
20:28It's been worn down a little bit.
20:29It's been a chopped edge, but every gardener on the island has one of these, I think.
20:34Has them for work, right?
20:35Yeah.
20:35When you're carrying it down your pants, that's not what your intention is, right?
20:39Back in years gone by, before we had the proliferation of firearms on the island,
20:44this was pretty much the weapon of choice for our gangsters, wasn't it?
20:47It was all knives and machetes.
20:49Machetes was the weapon of choice for many, many years.
20:53And it's harder than ever to stop these weapons, now they're bought and delivered direct.
21:00You can go online and buy all kinds of things, but the point is you can't carry them.
21:05And even these things, I'm sure you can buy those online.
21:08It's a nicely made one, but prohibited nonetheless.
21:11It's not like drugs. We can't get a dog to sniff out, you know, a monkey.
21:15It's down to whether customs find it at the port of entry.
21:18And that's what, of course, our powers are designed to stop.
21:22It's designed to search you in anticipation of that violence and find those weapons.
21:27And that's often a lot when we get this stuff, isn't it?
21:30Today's stop and search operation was a success.
21:33I often tell my team, we come to work and we go home with the same amount of holes in
21:39us.
21:39And a knife like that, I'm glad that we seized it.
21:44The owner of the knife found was released on bail pending further investigation.
21:50And although his lethal weapon is off the streets, the battle to keep this island community safe is never done.
21:58Keeping Bermuda safe.
22:00Safe and beautiful.
22:01Always.
22:13At the airport, customs officers are preparing to search luggage a sniffer dog identified as suspicious.
22:27The passengers are taken to the secondary search area.
22:30Sir.
22:31Thank you guys.
22:32Are you guys returning?
22:34So, we're Bermudian, but we live in Canada.
22:36Okay.
22:37Okay.
22:38The couple are returning to Bermuda from a trip to Canada.
22:42And anything to the family is possible.
22:44No.
22:45Nothing is there.
22:46And travelling with their son, a university student.
22:51Everything in your bags belong to you?
22:52Yeah.
22:52You wear all the contents in your bags?
22:54And you pack these bags yourself?
22:56All right.
22:57And no marijuana, weed, anything of any kind?
23:03The parents' bags get the all clear.
23:06But in Officer George's experience, the dog is rarely wrong.
23:11If the dog alerts, then customs will do their search.
23:15I anticipate, nine times out of ten, that someone will be found.
23:23And, sure enough, a search of the son's backpack yields a result.
23:29Packaging for a cannabis product.
23:33But the package is empty.
23:37It's not mine.
23:39At some point when they've packed them, the packet is empty.
23:42But it's still a cannabis product, and it still technically is illegal to bring it into Bermuda.
23:47If there had been anything in it, it would have been a different ballgame.
23:49Luckily for the son, with no illegal substance present, the family are free to head back home.
24:06Sergeant Milton is on the case with an elderly mystery man.
24:11He's confused and can't find his way home.
24:15It seems like he doesn't want police's help.
24:18However, he is unable to tell me any details.
24:22It's been over 20 minutes since he called into base,
24:26circulating photos of the man in the hope of identifying him.
24:31Yeah, Mike, three photos sent to you.
24:32Photos sent by WhatsApp.
24:41You want us to help you get you home?
24:45Not yet.
24:47The confused man is still struggling.
24:53And Sergeant Milton is concerned about his safety.
24:58And with the backup car arriving to support,
25:05the officers encourage the man to take the help.
25:11You see, he's resistant to the lift.
25:13You don't want to let them give you a lift.
25:16They can just give you a lift back home.
25:19It's the thing, you've got to be so careful because
25:22technically you could detain him to try and take him back home,
25:25but the last thing you want is you get in a tussle
25:27with an older gentleman like that.
25:29So you're trying to use, like, all your people skills
25:31you have available.
25:34Finally, with a little time,
25:36the man agrees to take the ride.
25:39Mike did an Oscar.
25:41He hasn't gotten in the car with the hotel unit,
25:43so we're going to try and find his house.
25:46I'm hopeful when he gets close to home,
25:48because, like, ooh, I live in that house.
25:49That's what I'm hopeful.
25:54As they set off,
25:57an update call comes in.
25:59Hey, Kim.
26:01With more intel on the identity of a man,
26:04someone at the station has recognised him from the photo.
26:08Oh.
26:09One sec, buddy, we might have a breakthrough.
26:14Someone recognises him
26:15as actually the father of a police officer.
26:18You remember having a daughter?
26:19You have a daughter?
26:21Sir?
26:23She was police?
26:25Police officer's daughter?
26:26She was police?
26:28Yeah, yeah, that's your daughter, right?
26:31Okay.
26:32She lives right around the corner.
26:33I think this is her daddy.
26:34Sir?
26:35I'm going to try to.
26:38Straight ahead.
26:41Sergeant Milton leads the way to the officer's house.
26:46But no one's home.
26:50Refusing to be beaten,
26:52Sergeant Milton gets the colleague,
26:54believed to be the man's daughter,
26:56on a video call.
26:59Hey, so, is this your father here?
27:02Yeah.
27:03Okay.
27:05It's okay.
27:06All right, we'll figure it out.
27:08Yeah, everybody in the neighborhood
27:09knows my daddy and knows me.
27:11Okay.
27:11No worries.
27:12We're taken back home now.
27:13It has been ID.
27:15All right, thank you.
27:16All right, no problem.
27:17Take care.
27:18The family was very appreciative
27:19that he was brought back.
27:21Your daughter's going to come see you, okay?
27:23That moment where I have a definitive address,
27:26I know we're at resolution
27:27and the guy's going to be safe,
27:29it is a big weight off your shoulders.
27:34The Bermuda size and being able to, you know,
27:37send a picture out and be like,
27:38hey, does anybody know who this is?
27:39And eventually someone recognizing him
27:40is a very uniquely Bermudian thing.
27:44I think this saga is completed.
27:46Hey, make your helmet!
27:49All right, now don't get in that habit.
27:54Next time, a big drugs bust.
27:57You are being placed under arrest
27:59with a suspicion to import drugs into Bermuda.
28:01An elusive person of interest.
28:03We're still trying to locate him.
28:05And a race against time.
28:07Clock is ticking.
28:07We're still trying to locate him.
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