Violence might be soaring but it's matched by rising levels of public apathy, says Crimestoppers chairwoman Joanne MacPhee, who said tips are down 50 percent on average.

And she said criminals now feared nothing as she lamented the failure to convict anyone for the murder of Kellon Hill last summer.

The recent upsurge in violence, which has seen people gunned down in the street, was an excellent opportunity for the public to use Crimestoppers more said Ms MacPhee, yet the rate of calls seemed to be falling in recent years.

She told The Royal Gazette: "Our numbers are considerably down. We are at least 50 percent below average this year on calls.

"The average number of calls is around 65 a year over a five-year period but in the last three years they have dropped off by more than 50 percent on average which is very disconcerting to us.

"We are scratching our heads as a board. We keep reassuring the public that our service is anonymous and confidential."

But she said the apathy was consistent with declining standards and morals.

"We are confidential but the lines are still not being used. It makes you begin to understand why we are having this lack of moral conduct in our community

"It's not like they are not using our lines because they don't trust us. It's that they don't see the need, they are not as concerned as they should be about the increase in violence."

Since its inception in 1996, Crime Stoppers had received 3,352 tips, helped with 189 arrests, seen 227 cases cleared and helped to seize more than $1.4 million dollars in assets. But the confidential crime line is now getting less use said Ms MacPhee.

"It begins to boggle the mind, why are we tolerating this and becoming complacent to this level of criminal activity?"

Pressed on why criminals were so blatant with acts sometimes playing out in the public stage, Ms MacPhee said: "It's the same as people who speed at 70 mph and smash themselves up. They just don't care."

It doesn't matter how many Police were put on Bermuda's streets, they can't do it all on their own, said Ms MacPhee.

"Police are out there doing good intelligence work, but when we get to the courts it is failing us.

"If there are not going to be repercussions in court then you can understand why the criminal activity is going to increase."

The Crimestoppers website is www.crimestoppers.bm and the number is 800-TIPS.