A man caught up in a shooting incident has expressed his gratitude to Police officers for the speed of their response.

The 24-year-old was forced to take cover behind a wall of his house when gunshots began to fly around him in the early hours of last Saturday.

"It was about 2.30 in the morning and I was sat out on my porch, and all of a sudden four to six gunshots were fired at my house," said the Warwick resident, who does not wish to be named.

The man, who lives in St. Mary's Road, said the shots appeared to be fired from a point on a hill above his driveway.

"The shooter was probably 100 yards away from me, firing back in my direction. All I remember was when the gunshots rang out they were passing within ten to 15 feet of me," he said.

"The bullets were flying around me, hitting the trees near me.

"I just ducked behind a wall in case the gunman was aiming at me or in case I got hit by a ricocheted bullet. Then I went inside the house and called the Police.

"They arrived within eight minutes," he said. "There were between 16 and 20 fully armed officers and they conducted a full search of the area, speaking to neighbours and looking for evidence such as shell casings.

"They did a search from 2.30 a.m. until 4 a.m. and then came back at daylight at 6.30 a.m. "

The resident claimed guns were being imported in shipping containers and then rented out.

"There's a multitude of firearms coming here and people are renting them out with ammunition," he said. "People are getting braver about brandishing firearms in Bermuda.

"Being at the other end of a gun barrel is not a pleasant experience.

"I think this was just a random shooting but I would never let anyone with a gun scare me, because that just gives them more power."

He added: "There needs to be more security staff in the container yard, to make sure there are proper searches of the containers.

"Everyone is concerned about rising gun crime, particularly with the sporadic gunfire we've had in recent weeks.

"I would however like to thank the Bermuda Police Service for their bravery and quick response.

"I've heard people complain the Police aren't doing anything but I know the Police are working around the clock to make the Island safer, and I just wanted to thank them for that."

On Friday, Superintendent Paul Wright described the growing incidence of firearms offences as "a worrying trend".

In addition to the incident in Warwick on June 20, the previous week has seen reports of gunfire at Bluebell Lane, Sandys, and the Southampton Rangers Club.

Since the start of 2009, Police have received 35 reports of firearms incidents, 22 of which have been substantiated.

Supt. Wright said: "Club owners, event organisers and liquor licensed premises have a duty of care to their patrons and must play their role in ensuing common standards such as CCTV, an adequate security presence and screening for weapons.

"Bermuda quite rightly has a low tolerance for this type of violent and anti-social behaviour. We encourage the community to use the Bermuda Police Service and Crime Stoppers to play your part in denying the criminal minority their view that they can do whatever they want."

Anyone with information about gun crime should contact the anonymous Crime Stoppers hot line on 1 800 623 8477 or the Police on 295 0011.