first quarter of the year -- a relatively marginal increase.

Quarterly statistics are always difficult to use as a gauge of crime trends in a community as small as Bermuda, because it only takes one person to go on a mugging or housebreaking spree for figures to soar. Equally, the arrest and imprisonment of the person can result in a dramatic plunge in figures in the next year.

Thus, there were 93 burglaries for the first three months of last year compared to just 38 in 1999 -- it is likely that this was the result of one or two people going on one-man crime waves.

That is still to the credit of the Police -- but it does not necessarily mean the problem has been solved forever.

Nonetheless, the figures do give some indication of overall trends and the one drawn from these figures is fairly good. In 1995, Bermuda experienced a dramatic rise in crime, with 1075 incidents reported. In 1996, the figure plunged to 653, partly because the reforms initiated under then-Commissioner Colin Coxall were beginning to take effect.

Since then, different crimes have risen and fallen, but the overall level of crime has remained fairly consistent.

However, it is important to remember that problems like short staffing and low morale within the Service will take time to be reflected in crime statistics.

If crimes go undetected because there are insufficient officers to deal with them, the criminals will believe they have the freedom to commit more offences. Keeping that in mind, this summer could prove to be the real test for the Police service.

COURT REPORTING EDT Court reporting The Bermuda Bar Council's new president, Richard Hector, has thrown his weight behind calls for an accurate court reporting and transcription service and for taped interviews of suspects by Police.

Government has already said it backs proper court reporting, which as Mr.

Hector says would result in huge time savings for the courts system. And videotaping of suspects was promised by then-Commissioner Colin Coxall in his Police Service Strategy.

Regrettably, neither has been put in place yet, and Mr. Hector is quite correct when he says Bermuda "is considered to be living in the dark ages as far as court reporting is concerned''.

After apparently ignoring so many other calls, perhaps the Government will listen to Mr. Hector, a Queen's Counsel who has served as a prosecutor, magistrate and defence lawyer, and must surely know what he is talking about.