A general downward trend in criminal offences logged by police has been credited to the hard work of officers and their collaboration with members of the community.

The Bermuda Police Service released their Official Statistics Report 2023, which the BPS said showed that crime on the island remained close to historic lows.

Darrin Simons, the Commissioner of Police, said: “The 2023 statistics show that Bermuda remains one of the safest places to live, work and visit.

“With 3,065 total offences, we’ve maintained the downward trend we’ve seen over recent years, although we did see a modest 5.6 per cent increase from 2022.”

The BPS attributed much of the success to strong community partnerships and the dedication of officers and staff.

Mr Simons said: “Making Bermuda safer isn’t something we can do alone.

“These results reflect the co-operation between police and the community, along with the tireless work of our officers.

“Moving forward, we’ll continue to strengthen these partnerships while focusing on areas that need improvement.”

Figures published in the report showed that the number of offences recorded by year from 2000 to 2023 was at a high of 6,147 in 2002 and a lowest of 2,902 in 2022.

The 3,065 offences logged in 2023 was the second-lowest crime total since comparable records began in 2000.

MPs heard on Monday that the BPS investigated 3,719 crimes last year.

Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security, revealed the figure for 2024 during an overview of his ministry’s budget.

Several positive trends were highlighted in the latest annual report, the BPS said, including “significant” reductions in motor vehicle thefts, which were down by 75 year-on-year from 620 in 2022.

The service described firearms incidents in 2023 as being at “continued low levels … compared to historical figures”.

It added: “Property crime, while showing a slight increase from 2022, remains at levels far below those seen in previous decades.”

Mr Simons said: “We know there are still challenges.

“We’ve seen increases in residential burglaries and fraud offences that we’re actively addressing. And any life lost on our roads or to violence is one too many.”

The report showed there were 24 firearm incidents in 2023 — eight each for confirmed incidents, unconfirmed incidents and recoveries of a firearm or ammunition.

There were three firearm fatalities that year and three firearm injuries recorded.

The figures also showed 24 bladed weapon incidents in 2023, which was up from 17 the previous year, 11 in 2021, 15 in 2020 and four in 2019.

For the first time, the BPS included in their annual report data from the Professional Standards Department, which the service said provided “unprecedented transparency about complaints against police officers and their resolutions”.

The report showed that in 2023, the service received 20 public complaints — slightly down on the 22 received the previous year, and that internal complaints increased from 21 in 2022 to 25 in 2023.

By type, the largest number of complaints from the public in 2023 were about use of force and lack of respect or courtesy, which yielded six each.

“Publishing our professional standards statistics marks a significant step forward in our commitment to accountability,” Mr Simons said.

“The public deserve to know how we handle complaints and maintain professional standards.

“I'm pleased to report that public complaints decreased slightly in 2023, with none requiring formal misconduct proceedings.”

The report said: “Of the public complaints received in 2023, none were referred to misconduct proceedings, compared to one public complaint that reached that level in 2022.

“Internal complaints in 2023 led to two matters being referred to formal misconduct proceedings, a decrease from four in 2022.”

It added: “Notably, the overwhelming majority of complaints — both public and internal — were either not upheld or addressed through low-level management action.

“Out of all complaints received in 2023, one matter resulted in the dismissal of an officer, while from the 2022 complaints, two officers were dismissed.

“All dismissals originated from internal complaints and involved breaches of honesty and/or integrity.

“This reflects the BPS’s commitment to upholding professional standards, fostering accountability and continuously improving service to the community.”

The BPS recognised that the 2023 statistics were published later than desired.

Mr Simons said that progress was made in reducing the reporting timeline, but that the service were not yet satisfied.

He added: “We've implemented new data management systems and reporting processes that will further reduce these delays.

“Our goal is to provide these vital statistics to the public much more promptly.”

• To read the report in full, see Related Media

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BPS Official Statistics Report 2023