The Bermuda Police Service Crime Statistics 2008: A Review

Although to review the crime statistics is not a difficult task, I just did not dedicate any time to do so until last week, when I review the criminal statistics of the criminal offences that were reported to the police for the year 2008, as was released from the Bermuda Police Service. My scrutinizing search led me to some very interesting anomalies in the statistics and other reports. I will endeavor to spend a little time, to go over the statistics and give you a brief but honest analytical prospective of my findings. I will also infused my personal opinion, however I will endeavor to identify my opinion, less anyone treat my opinion as if they are fact.

First of all let me take this opportunity to make it clear, that the crime statistics that is provided by the police, in no way reflects the amount of crimes that was committed within a particular location between particular periods. However it is a reflection of the amount of crimes which was reported to the police between particular periods. For example rape and other sexual offences very often go unreported by the victims, for some or more of the following reasons.

1. The victims may blame themselves for the action of the perpetrators.
   
2. They do not want to be a victim of the stigma that is associated with such offences
   
3. They are afraid that their partner (husband, boyfriends etc.) will blame them for causing their sexual victimization and thus end the relationship (marriage etc).
   
4. they don’t want to go through the trouble of becoming a victim a second, a third or even a forth time (as in the case of the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who was accuse of raping a female police officer)
   
5. No one will believe me (the victim).
   
6. No one will believe that a particular individual (the Perpetrator) will do such a thing etc.
   
7. There is the fear of retribution.

It is also important to understand that a large percentage of the crimes that are committed in any given locations are never reported for various reasons, most of which are personal to the victims of crimes who chooses not to report the matter to the police. So the crime statistics is only a reflection of the pale reality. Like the moon light is just a poor reflection of the sun’s illumination.

If it is true, that the crime statistics is only a pale reflection of the reality what happens when the power that be, fail to present the statistics transparently?

Let us now take a good look at the crime statistics as was make public by the Bermuda Police Service; but first, we must lay a basic foundation that will give the average man an understanding of this discourse.

A crime is any offence that is committed by an individual or a group against and individual or group and or their properties, which may result in:

• damage,
• lost,
• destruction,
• injuries,
• hurt,
• death
• pain ect.

Such offences must be legislated under the criminal code, act or other legislation enacted for that purpose.

With this in mind the people of Bermuda will like to know:

• Why aren’t the criminal offence of Assault Bodily Harm (the most frequently committed offence) not apart of the Bermuda Police Service public statistics.
  

• Due to the fact that Bermuda has such a large portion of its population addicted to one substance or the other; Why aren’t drugs and drug related crimes not a part of the Bermuda Police Service public statistics; and the same for:
  
• Offensive weapons
  
• And the sophisticated theft crimes like embezzlement, money laundering, fraud etc.
  

After all, there are departments that are set up with trained staff to deal with such offences. There is the Commercial Crime Unit which deals with crime such as embezzlement etc. the Fraud Squad that deal with the various crimes of fraud and the Narcotic Department that deal with the trafficking, supply, sale and or the use of illegal mode altering substances (drugs). If there were no such crimes committed in the pass why spend good money to equip and staff such departments. If the Bermuda Police Service is going to devote a whole department to deal with such crimes, there must be a problem that needs specialized attention.

Now on May 12th 2008, the Bermuda Police Service became so alarmed over the amount of violent crime that has been committed in the first quarter that they call a press conference to alert the community of the mounting problem.

Was there a need to be concern, or was it just a case where the management of the Bermuda Police Service were calling wolf, wolf. What is troubling is the fact that the violent crime statistics from 2004-2008 (with the exception of 2006 which revealed a decline in violent crime) there were a steady increase; so in reality there was nothing to be alarm about. What was the big fuss about. Was It because the management of the Bermuda Police service do not understand trend as it relates to crimes? Did the crime analysis take an analytical look at the trends per quarter as it relate to different years? If they did that, they would have known that there was no need for alarm due to the fact that certain crime spike at certain time of the year for definite reasons.

OF the thirty three criminal offences listed, in the six categories, the Bermuda Police Service reported on, there were minimal increases in ten offences listed. This means that there was a reduction in commission in twenty three criminal offences.

Conclusion:

Take into consideration that there was a drastic deduction of commission in the number (23) of criminal offences with slight increase in ten offences, the fact that the management of the Bermuda Police Service, felt the need to raise the red flag in the first quarter as it related to violent crimes, however we saw a measly increase of only 19 more violent crimes in relation to 2007, also the fact that the Bermuda Police Service management conveniently omitted so many criminal offence from its statistics among other abnormality, I am therefore forced to reveal my opinionated conclusion that the statistics was intentionally doctored to reflect a technical reduction (general reduction in commission in 23 criminal offences) yet an over all increase in the crime rate, for to cause the overall crime rate to have reflected a decrease, would have raise the eye brows of the community and reveal a perpetration of a fraud ( a criminal offence) that was committed by the Bermuda Police Service management.

If the boys in the management position of the Bermuda Police Service are not man enough to do what is right, in such trivial issues (such as releasing the true criminal statistics), I hope the community will not expect them to do what is right in matter that has grave consequences attached.