Threefold rise in firearms offences in 2024
The number of firearms offences more than tripled last year, according to newly released provisional crime figures from the Bermuda Police Service.
There were 32 such offences in 2024, compared with ten in 2023, 18 in 2022, nine in 2021 and 13 in 2020.
Antiviolence campaigner Desmond Crockwell said the “worrying” spike could be a one-off, but suggested a change in tackling gang crime would be needed if similar numbers occurred in 2025.
“Let’s call it what it is; it’s concerning,” he said. “If those numbers stay like that, then the people that are in decision-making seats, they have to change the way they are approaching this concern.”
He added: “I do believe that they have to start looking at choosing different people to sit around the table.
“We have the same people trying to solve the same problems for the last 15 years.”
Mr Crockwell added: “There are more people that are actually vulnerable, more people getting hurt, more people getting shot at.”
The figures appear in the appendix of a crime statistics report for 2024 shared by the Bermuda Police Service with The Royal Gazette under public access to information.
The BPS emphasised the data was still being analysed and was “subject to change” pending the release of an official final report.
The provisional report gives the public a breakdown of crime on the island last year beyond the snapshot shared by national security minister Michael Weeks in the House of Assembly in May.
It lists the four firearms murders last year, bringing the number of lives lost to gun crime since 2020 to 17. There were three firearms fatalities in 2023, five in 2022, three in 2021 and two in 2020.
Nine people were injured by gunshot fire last year, a threefold increase on 2023.
The report shows there were 19 events classified as confirmed firearms incidents last year, as well as 13 incidents involving the recovery of a gun and/or ammunition and four unconfirmed firearms offences.
In 2023, there were eight confirmed firearms incidents, eight unconfirmed firearms incidents and eight recoveries of guns and/or ammunition.
A single firearms incident can result in a person being charged with several offences, hence why there are more firearms offences recorded than there are incidents.
Antoine Daniels, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, told the Gazette: “Any loss of life or injury due to gun violence is deeply concerning.
“The Bermuda Police Service remain fully committed to tackling gun and gang-related activity and we continue to dedicate the resources and personnel necessary for both enforcement and prevention efforts.
“Our work to disrupt criminal activity, apprehend offenders and safeguard our communities remains constant.
“To that end, we continue to enhance our intelligence-gathering and better manage resources to ensure enforcement capabilities are available to meet the demands that come with addressing this troubling matter.”
Police suggested early last year that increasing friction between rival gangs could be to blame for a spike in violent crime.
Mr Weeks told Parliament in May the island was “witnessing the first-generation gang members’ children coming of age and choosing to carry forward their fathers’ destructive legacy, often with greater levels of violence and disregard for community safety”.
Mr Crockwell, the founder of Youth Vision Bermuda and a Free Democratic Movement candidate in the General Election in February, said this week: “There is no set vision or goal on the Government’s behalf. Are the numbers decreasing? What are they measuring success by?
“The numbers are now in front of the entire population that show this is getting worse.”
He said of gang members: “People are becoming more courageous. They feel more empowered because the system is weak.
“There hasn’t been any type of legislation put forward that’s actually detrimental or even discouraging. They don’t fear any consequences.”
Mr Weeks hit back, insisting: “Anyone claiming the Government has no vision or goal when it comes to tackling gang violence either hasn’t been paying attention or is choosing to ignore the facts.
“The Ministry of National Security is leading a co-ordinated and deliberate fight against community violence. We have a clear vision, an operational strategy and people on the ground doing the work daily.”
In addition to the 32 firearms offences, the new crime report includes 53 other weapon offences in 2024, compared with 43 the year before.
Mr Weeks said in May that knife crime was rising “at an alarming rate” and addressing it would be a police priority in 2025.
The report lists the five bladed-weapon murders in 2024, including a domestic triple homicide. There were no knife murders in 2023, two in 2022, three in 2021 and four in 2020, taking to 14 the number of people to have died because of knife crime in the past five years.
During the same period, 117 people were injured by a bladed weapon. Knife injuries increased from 27 in 2023 to 34 last year.
Other violent crime in the 2024 report includes 53 sexual assaults, 23 robberies, 33 offences against children, 50 serious assaults and 508 other assaults.
There were 3,081 offences in total last year, a slight increase on the 3,065 the previous year. That included 714 crimes against individuals, 579 crimes against the community and 1,788 crimes against property. There were 1,853 arrests, compared with 2,087 in 2023.
The number of burglaries was 291, a decrease on the 364 in 2023.
There were 38 indecency offences, 99 disorder offences, 368 antisocial behaviour offences and 27 animal offences.
There were 1,461 road traffic collisions last year, compared with 1,401 in 2023, 1,432 in 2022, 1,263 in 2021 and 1,122 in 2020.
They resulted in the deaths of seven people and serious injury to 128 others.
There were 7,217 traffic tickets issued in 2024 and 1,066 stop-and-searches carried out.
The Gazette submitted a Pati request last November for the crime statistics for 2022, 2023 and 2024 because they had not been published by the BPS.
The request was rejected on the grounds the records did “not exist” and the BPS were “currently progressing the records”. Darrin Simons, the Commissioner of Police, upheld the refusal.
Mr Simons released the official 2022 figures in January this year and the 2023 figures in May.
The Gazette appealed to the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding the 2024 figures and the provisional statistics were disclosed this week as part of the ICO’s resolution process.
National security minister Michael Weeks urged the community to join the fight against gang violence in the wake of new provisional figures showing a rise in gun crime.
He said on Wednesday: “This is not a government issue alone and it is not a policing issue alone. We cannot legislate away gang violence.
"We cannot arrest our way out of it. What we need, and what we are calling for, is a community-wide response.
“Parents, teachers, coaches, church leaders, neighbours, young people themselves — everyone must play a role.”
His words were echoed by Antoine Daniels, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, who said: “Policing alone cannot solve this complex issue.
“The community plays a vital role in confronting gun violence and broader criminal activity.
“We urge all residents to speak up and share what they know, not only about firearms and gang activity but about all forms of criminal behaviour that threaten public safety.”
Mr Daniels thanked those who have shared information with police, telling them: “Your co-operation has been instrumental in helping us solve firearms as well as other criminal matters and prevent further violence.”
Mr Weeks, responding to a claim that the Government lacked a plan to tackle gangs, said: “The vision is there. The strategy is live. The programmes are active. The outreach is real.
“What we need now is for the community to meet us with the same energy."
He cited the government-funded Gang Violence Reduction Team, led by Leroy Bean, a government MP, as being “at the centre of this effort”.
“This team is not some symbolic unit,” Mr Weeks said. “They are working in real time, with real people, in real danger.
“They deliver individual case management, provide rehabilitation services in the prison system, conduct daily school visits and mediate active conflicts through street-level outreach.
"They run restorative circles, support community service reintegration and deliver the I Am Programme, which helps at-risk students build self-awareness and conflict resolution skills.“
His ministry, he added, had given employment support and training to more than 80 young men and women aged 18 to 35 through the Redemption Programme, with another cohort to follow.
“This is not theory,” he said. “This is lives being redirected away from violence and towards opportunity.”
Mr Weeks also pointed to his ministry’s National Violence Reduction Strategy, developed with private and public-sector stakeholders, churches, community groups and opposition members.
He said: “This is a holistic, multi-agency plan built on the pillars of prevention, intervention and rehabilitation.
“We are addressing root causes such as economic instability, trauma and lack of opportunity, not just symptoms.
"As part of this strategy, we are expanding access to vocational and academic training, including GED support, access to Bermuda College and overseas opportunities for certifications and apprenticeships.
"We are also investing in community-based trauma counselling for families affected by violence because we know the wounds of violence are not just physical. They are emotional, generational and deeply personal.“
Last month, the national security ministry held a Truth Be Told summit for students from five schools, where they used film, poetry and public speaking to discuss violence in the community.
Mr Weeks said an upgraded, island-wide CCTV system had been rolled out, with more than 200 cameras covering 130 locations.
“This is giving police the modern tools they need to solve crime and act on intelligence,” he said.
“But I will be the first to tell you, cameras do not stop violence. People do.”
• To read the provisional crime statistics report in full and the Bermuda Police Service’s responses to the Pati request, see Related Media
• Desmond Crockwell will host a live discussion on gang and gun crime on his Facebook page with shadow national security minister Robert King today at 8pm
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