Violent Crime Soars in Bermuda

Violent crime in the Caribbean tourist destination of Bermuda for the first three months of 2005 rose by 15 per cent over last year´s figures, according to official statistics.

The figure showed that robberies soared by 50 per cent and the police said while they have allocated extra resources to deal with the rising crime situation, many victims often refuse to co-operate, even in cases of attempted murder.

Assistant Commissioner Carlton Adams said one factor in the 15 per cent increase in violent crime was a 50 per cent rise in street robberies, leading to an investigative team being established.

Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said statistics from the last few weeks were even more worrying with breaking and entering offences up 44 per cent over the same period last year.