Most residents maintain they feel safe in an historical Devonshire neighbourhood despite a shooting in the area last week.

They highlighted that Prospect was a friendly tight-knit community, where the main concern was better lighting and cameras rather than crime.

The Royal Gazette spoke to locals days after a teenager was shot and injured in the Alexandra Road and Mary Victoria Road area at about 10.40pm on Thursday. The 18-year-old was released from hospital after treatment.

Sonya Gibbons, 71, could recall only one other shooting, in which 53-year-old Steve Parkes was killed, in the six years she has lived on Alexandra Road.

Mr Parkes, a father of six, was fatally shot outside his home on Mary Victoria Road on May 11, 2023.

Ms Gibbons said: “I feel safe, because people who live along near here are mostly senior citizens. But we would always do with more lighting and cameras in the area.”

Her comments come a year after the Government announced a master plan to address “long-running issues, including water and sewage, lighting and general home improvement”, along Alexandra Road, Mary Victoria Road and Cedar Park Road.

Ms Gibbons said: “The cameras should be aimed at the dumpsters [at the Mary Victoria Road junction], as a lot of non-residents come here to dump their trash, and that would also show footage of any cars going down Mary Victoria.”

She added: “They need to fix the lights and make sure the cameras are working. It will make things easier for those in this area who do not feel safe.”

One woman, who has lived on Alexandra Road with her family for 16 years, was surprised by the latest shooting.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s a real tight-knit community here and the people involved in this shooting don’t even live in the area.”

She added that children still played around a neighbourhood playground that was abandoned a few years ago but came in before dark because of the lack of lighting, which she said was the “only real issue” in the area.

Another resident, who wished to be named only as “Nicky”, has also lived on Alexandra Road for 16 years.

He said: “We don’t lock our doors — this is one of the only neighbourhoods like this in Bermuda, where young and older people are good neighbours to each other.”

The Bermuda Housing Corporation was allocated $26.9 million in capital expenditure in the 2026-27 budget.

David Burt, the Premier, said last month: “These investments will strengthen the quality and availability of public housing and deliver housing infrastructure improvements in existing developments such as Cedar Park, Mary Victoria and Alexandra Road.”