Gangs are resorting to burying their guns deep underground in remote locations because they can not afford to lose them.

This according to Commissioner Michael DeSilva, who said that numbers within the gang structure had dropped and firearms had become precious and scarce commodities.

He told The Royal Gazette that while a recent upsurge in shootings showed underlying tensions between rival factions still existed, there was no evidence to suggest a proliferation of guns on the Island.

“We are seeing smaller numbers in the gang structure these days,” said Mr DeSilva. “Intelligence still suggests that the same players are sharing the same weapons and going after the same targets.

“There is no evidence that there is a proliferation of weapons in Bermuda.

“We recently received forensic results that one weapon had been used in no fewer than ten shootings. Guns are being closely guarded and are a very precious commodity. The amount of care going into concealing them is incredible.

“They are not being hid under pillows, they are being buried underground in very remote locations. The reason is because they cannot afford to lose them.”

The last two months of 2014 saw a string of shootings, including one in which four men were shot outside Somerset Cricket Club, while Prince Edness was murdered in Southampton.

Mr DeSilva said: “I don’t expect the shootings to stop as I don’t expect some of these gang members to stop trying to shoot each other because I am a realist.

“But Bermuda is ahead of the curve in many respects of tackling gang violence. Several other countries are really struggling to get ahead of gang crime and have recorded ridiculously disproportionate numbers of gang deaths.

“It would take something catastrophic to take place between the rival gangs to take us back to where we were in 2009.”

Over the past few weeks, Police have mounted a string of high-profile operations in Hamilton and outside the city.

Firearms officers were deployed to Court Street on December 30 during a search of a premises, while armed Police were also sent to Mount Hill in Pembroke and an area near Government House in the same month.

Mr DeSilva said the operations were designed to bolster confidence in the Service, which has hit a new high, according to the latest statistics.

“If we are running these campaigns urging people to say something there must be a visual presence that shows we are responding to it,” he added.

“In the past we have been criticised. We used to hoover up intelligence but we were a bit slow to respond.

“What the public has seen recently is an immediate response to community information about serious investigations. It’s important we give the community confidence that if they give us information we will act on it.

“They don’t all pan out, but the last few have resulted in arrests and searches.

“If these operations scare people then we are doing it wrong.

“These operations should show how well equipped and how well disciplined we are to handle this situations. Our track record speaks for itself.

“Our objective is to use the least amount of force so we have the safest possible outcome.”

Mr De Silva added: “Public confidence is the single performance indicator we use now.

“In the third quarter of 2014, complete satisfaction with the police rose to 71 per cent — the first time it had gone above 70 per cent ever.

“I am pleased with that number, but the number I am more pleased with is the figure for completely dissatisfied at just six per cent. When I took over it was 24 per cent.

“Our performance and conduct is inspiring more confidence in people that were previously not that confident in us.

“We are seeing more trust, more confidence and more cooperation from the community and that comes through as intelligence, which is the life blood of the force.”