|
Bermuda Crime Rate
Surprised? But, there is a huge caveat here. In a tiny country like Bermuda with such small population of about 66,000, an increase of criminal activities by even one incidence can badly distort the percentage figures. Secondly all these reports are to do mostly with local gang violence scenarios that are not visible to tourists. In my view, a tiny island like Bermuda should not be compared with giant cities like New York and London.
So what's the murder rate in Bermuda? Between 2005 to 2009, the average number of murders has been 3.3 per year. But from 3 cases in 2006, it has increased to 5 in 2008 and 6 in 2009. So the trend is bad and should be controlled immediately.
Similarly, trend with the firearms offences are also in the increase. Between 2003 and 2005 there were an average of 16 firearms offences a year. While it dropped to 8 in 2006 but peaked at 21 in 2009. That suggests that 2009 may be part of a worsening situation.
Another concern is that most of the murders in 2010 have remained unsolved without charges being laid against the alleged offenders. This is also a change from previous years when Police were able to bring charges and prosecutors got punishments in most of the cases.
But as I said before, when you see the actual number of cases, they are still small and the rate or the trend can easily be changed by controlling such occurrences even by small numbers.
Former Premier and Tourism Minister of Bermuda issued a statement insisting: "Bermuda is still as safe as always for our visitors." Dr. Brown said: "As dreadful as this recent spate of violence is, there is no evidence that any of the violence is aimed at visitors to the Island."
Bermuda police has issued safety advice for women in Bermuda following some reports of sexual assaults. Check out Safety Advice for Bermuda Women
Update, October 2010: Total number of murders in 2010 so far has been seven compared to six in 2009. However, there is an overall decline in crime in Bermuda including robbery, sexual assaults and child abuse. The Bermuda Police Chief said: "The long-term trend of all crime in Bermuda remains stable, but is now showing signs of a meaningful decrease, particularly crime against person, which is now at its lowest since quarter one 2009".
Update July 2011: The overall crime (including all major types) in Bermuda has been in the decline as mentioned by the Commissioner of Police and also reflected by the below chart:
Remember, petty crimes on tourists like stealing unattended bags from the beach or from the scooter is not uncommon in Bermuda. Check out Bermuda Health & Safety to understand all other areas of risks in Bermuda and the recommended safety measures.
Check out Bermuda News for latest updates on what's happening in the island.
Return to Bermuda Attractions Home
|
|
|
|
_________________________________________________
@Copyright bermuda-attractions.com - All Rights Reserved
|
|