Q2 2014 Sees Lowest Crime Rate Since 2000
[Updated with video] The current crime picture in Bermuda is “showing very positive trends,” according to the Bermuda Police Service, who said the “second quarter of 2014 ranking as the lowest on record at 750 offences across all categories, with “total crime fell below 800 for the first time since modern crime recording systems were established in 2000.”
Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva said, “When comparing the first six months of 2014 against the same period last year, 137 fewer crimes were reported – 1,649 against 1,786 – for a reduction of about 7.5 percent.
“Notable reductions are included in the crime report, including firearms incidents that fell from 12 to five. Shooting fatalities dropped from two to one, while shooting injuries dropped from four in 2013 to two in 2014.
“92 fewer serious and other assaults were recorded for a 32 percent reduction overall. Criminal damage fell by 17 percent to 113 complaints. Total burglaries fell by 12 percent, residential burglaries fell by nine percent and there were no burglaries reported at any of the island’s tourist accommodations in the first six months of 2014.
“Unfortunately, a significant increase in motor vehicle theft spoiled the overall downward trend, by rising from 307 thefts in 2013 to 429 in 2014, an increase of nearly 40 percent.
“$1.7M worth of illegal drugs have been seized so far this year, with the bulk of that number being interdicted by the Customs Department at the ports.
“It is important for me to note that these reductions were not achieved by the police alone. A few years ago, when serious crimes were significantly higher, I made the point that the police could not solve the problem by ourselves. I suggested that crime is a community problem that requires community solutions.
“Similarly, when crime falls we cannot take the credit alone. I believe Bermuda is seeing the results of about four years of better joined-up efforts between police, community and government.
“Crime reduction hasn’t come about just by better law enforcement, but by more community involvement and increased coordination across Government agencies. We have all been working at this for a number of years, and I think that is something for all of us to be proud of.
“Despite the good news the Crime Report brings in terms of overall reductions in crime, there are still some worrying signs on the traffic report. While there were 141 fewer collisions than the same period in 2013, we still recorded 726 collisions in the first six months of this year.
“That’s about four collisions a day, which is only slightly better than five per day recorded last year.
“More disturbing is the number of road traffic fatalities. To date, Bermuda has recorded nine fatalities in 2014. My deepest sympathies are extended to all families and friends that are affected by road deaths, including those of the latest victim, Mr. Melvin Smith, who died this week under the most tragic circumstances.
“That means Bermuda has already reached about the same number of total fatal collisions that were recorded in each of the last three years, but we still have five months left in 2014.
“We have looked carefully at the data, which is startling: since 2008, over a period of about 6 1⁄2 years, 25 murders have been attributed to gang violence and firearms. But in the same period, 80 deaths have occurred on our roads. With a ratio of more than 3 to 1, the situation demands that Bermuda addresses the problem.
“In the same way that we developed our Gang Strategy in 2010 to tackle the spike in violence, our head of the Roads Policing Unit, Inspector Robert Cardwell, is putting the finishing touches on a new Road Safety Strategy. The strategy has two fundamental goals: to save lives, and to make our roads safer.
“In the same manner of the Gang Strategy, we will endorse a community-wide effort towards road safety that combines robust enforcement with equally robust education, prevention and rehabilitation programmes.
“We must calm down our roads before more lives are lost. I hope to be able to release the Strategy in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the BPS encourages all road users to slow down and drive with care, caution and courtesy.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
The full Q2 2014 BPS Crime Statistics report follows below [PDF here]:
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Good to hear.
Lets hope handbag snatching follows suit.
Clearly the oba is got Bermuda going on the right track.. & got the crime numbers heading down
I challenge any one to show us crime stats that showed an increase in crime since records began.
lol! oh yeah… clearly!
Policies that would effect the crime rate take a few years to show their full effects.
THUS, IF the downward crime trend is a result of any government policy then credit would go to the former administration’s National Security Minister.
Of course. Any bad news has got to be the current government’s fault. Amy good news has got to be credited to the previous government. Got it.
73 drug related arrests.
7.8kg of cannabis = 275 ounces = ~10,000 joints worth. Sounds like a lot but it’s not even a drop in the bucket of what’s imported.
Despite these arrests and seizures cannabis is easily available and everywhere. The laws aren’t working. Time to change them.
That’s because the BPS have a stand off approach to crime these days. You’re all turning a blind eye to it. Let the drunks smash all the walls down. We’ll just go in after the fact and pick up the pieces. They should be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to crime!!
In the first instance, this is good news, and any news which relates to less crime is wonderful. However, and here is the however, lol, with the OBA, I don’t trust anything they say to be without manipulation or subtle deception, and I mean anything. Sorry to bring in the politics, but thats just the way I feel. Now, having said that, it would be interesting to know how the crime rate is calculated, and what variables are being measured. For instance, the unemployment rate is a function of who is actually actively looking for employment as opposed to who is out of work, having said that, I am curious to know whats in this lower rate.
But at the end of the day, less crime is a good thing for all involved, apart from the defense lawyers ofcourse,, lol.
@itk yeah right if you think they OBA have anything to do with it you dreaming oh I forgot everything’s better with OBA on SMDH hahahahaha
1000 likes crime is going in the right direction…. does less people = less crime……less traffic = less road rage…. less demand for houses = low rents less stress…should we return to the bubble of 2008 with record high population, crime and housing shortages….
So the PLP drove expats off the island to reduce crime? Wow. Well done. Very imaginative.
I don’t know . Maybe it was the exorbitant rents in Hamilton that drove business out of Bermuda ?
Not with a million sq ft of empty offices.
Yes the did! Ask any one of the IB’s that left, they will tell you.
Tell us what exactly?? That they moved their multi billion dollar businesses to other jurisdictions because the government drove them out of the island? Is that what they told you?? lol.. I guess they didnt mention the fact that they found other jurisdictions with lower operating costs., I guess they forgot to mention that,, lol.. must have been some cocktail party.. lol
Wow,good work of the govt is paying off.
Crime have been at record lows for 4 years, crime peaked in 2009,since then have steadily went down. May it continue.
Crime is down because all the major players are Locked up ,dead.or gone abroad. – although I’ll give some
credit to Premier Dunkleys no toleration policy.
All the major known criminals in the area were I live in have basicly wiped themselves out. – got a few left but no one
to lead them.- the big ring leader is in West Gate facing Murder charges,and most of his loyal followers are there too.
It is very noticeable and peaceful now that several useless young man have been removed one way or another out of the Community – – Good Riddence.
This is a joke so u tellin me they only started keepin track of crime wen the plp was in so all them years ubp/oba was in nobody cared about crime rates I think this is jus somtine to decieve ppl