Government are to modernise laws covering theft to increase sentences and bring in new offences. The Criminal Code Amendment (No. 2) Act 2005 will implement the UK Theft Act into Bermuda's Criminal Code and will address all modern forms of stealing. Attorney General Larry Mussenden in 1968 the UK enacted their Theft Act which has been amended over the years and Bermuda has now modeled its own theft provisions on the UK version.

“Our Criminal Code stealing provisions will be repealed and replaced by the UK Theft Act that will be inserted into our Criminal Code.”

The following areas will be addressed:

There will be a basic definition of ‘theft', dishonesty, property and appropriation;

Robbery and Burglary will be triable in the Magistrates' Court in addition to the Supreme Court;

Stealing cars and driving them dangerously will be addressed;

Fraud, deception and blackmail laws will be modernised;

Destroying documents will be addressed;

Forgery and counterfeiting laws will be modernised;

There will be increased sentencing powers for theft and related offences in the Magistrates' Court;

Senator Mussenden continued: “The Theft provisions are about 40 pages of law and represents months of intense, complex hard work. The Government intends to debate this Bill in the House and Senate in a few weeks time. However, due to the major change in law that the theft provisions represent, an intensive period of training will be undertaken by all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system.”