However Police Commissioner Colin Coxall warned there was no room for complacency and called on the public to continue their support.

"Bermuda is so small that the successful prosecution of a small number of criminals can result in a drop simply because they are temporarily out of circulation,'' said the Commissioner.

"The last thing we should do is become complacent. Concerned members of the public should always be vigilant, scrupulous about taking preventative measures and always prepared to assist the Police when they can.'' Figures for the first half of this year show crimes against property, crimes against the person and vehicle theft all fell compared to the same time last year.

Crimes against the person -- such as sexual assault, attacks on Police officers, robbery and handbag snatches -- fell from 234 to 191.

Property crimes, which include burglaries and break-ins, fell from 762 to 412.

Stolen bikes, one of the biggest crime problems on the Island, almost halved, falling from 932 in the first six months of 1995 to 514 over the same period this year.

The only blimp in the decreasing crime rate was a rise in hotel break-ins from 20 to 22.

Last night Shadow Home Affairs Minister Alex Scott questioned why drug offences were not included.

Mr. Scott pointed out that the PLP crime report showed Bermuda's main criminal activity was drug-related.

He also questioned the compilation of the statistics asking whether they were collected in the same way in previous years.

"No-one wishes to see crime rising and everyone should be encouraged if crime is falling.

"However, there is some concern reaching the Progressive Labour Party about the methods used to collect and present these figures.

"We would like to see a definitive picture and not a selected picture.

Perhaps it would be better to compare the figures over a longer period of time.'' Yesterday Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness was not available for comment.

However it is understood the statistics relate to the number of reported crimes and therefore do not include drug convictions or seizures.

Yesterday Mr. Coxall added that he was "greatly encouraged'' by the latest figures saying much of the credit lay with the community.

"Public awareness of vulnerability to crime is increasing and as a result of that the Police Service has been able to improve its targeting of crime.'' The Commissioner said there had been tremendous co-operation from insurance companies and the public in U-marking motorbikes in greater numbers than before.

"Assistance from the public is also on the increase, whether it be through programmes like Crime Stoppers or in the normal course of events,'' added Mr.

Coxall.

"I believe the public is fed up with crime and fed up with being made to feel nervous about becoming involved.

"Successful Policing depends fundamentally on co-operation from the public.

If we have that we can get crime figures in Bermuda down to a very low level, one in keeping with its reputation for peace and friendliness.'' Falling crime figures Figures for first half of year Crime 1995 1996 Change Murder 2 1 -50% Attempted Murder 0 3 N/A GBH 32 30 -6% Wounding 34 32 -5.9% Sexual Assault 31 27 -13% Assault on Police 16 15 -6% Robbery 54 44 -19% Theft from the Person 49 26 -47% Handbag Snatch 16 13 -19% Theft from Hotel 20 22 10% Attempted Burglary 11 10 -9% Burglary 166 78 -53% Housebreaking 273 134 -51% Schoolbreaking 45 30 -33% Storebreaking 59 44 -25% Other Breaking 93 68 -27% Attempted Breaking 95 26 -73% Removed/Stolen Cars 24 17 -29% Removed/Stolen Cycles 932 514 -45% Total 1952 1134 -42%