Wed, 2007-08-22

Over the last few months, officers within the Police Support Unit (PSU) as well as Service wide have noticed the increase of weapons being used when attending incidents. On arrival Police will generally find an offender still carrying the weapon, or find it nearby in an attempt to hide it. 

It was only two Sundays ago that members of the PSU attended two separate locations within the central area and recovered two large caches of weapons and clothing. Items found included numerous machetes, swords, pieces of pipe as well as metal rebar. Officers also seized a number of petrol bombs, also known as Molotov cocktails. Amongst the items found were black clothing, gloves and bandanas. Inquiries into these findings are still ongoing.

This is just one example of what Police officers throughout the service encounter during the course of their normal duties.

The public are reminded that recent amendments to section 315 of the Criminal Code now give the Police and the court system new powers when it comes to dealing with weapons offences. When a suspect is caught with a knife or any other bladed or pointed article, that person will be arrested and will remain in custody until the next available court session. This is to expedite and drive home the seriousness of these offences.

Upon reaching court, a suspect may find themselves serving a mandatory three year sentence as well as a $5000 fine. This is for a conviction in the Magistrates Court. If the matter is heard in the Supreme Court, the offender stands to face a mandatory five year sentence as well as up to $10,000 in fines.

A definition of bladed and pointed weapons can be as follows: This will include any type of knife or any homemade item which has a blade or a sharp point. Simple construction tools such as screwdrivers and chisels are included. Also encompassed is anything that has been sharpened. To give you an example even a sharpened toothbrush would count! Most usually encountered by Police are machetes and kitchen knives.

Offensive weapons encountered by Police will be items made and adapted to cause injury. Without giving too much detail on what these items are, something as simple as a piece of rope with a blunt object on the end of it. This will be sufficient to cause injury when used. A conviction in Magistrates Court can land an offender with a two year sentence as well as a $1500 fine. A Supreme Court conviction will lead to a five year sentence as well as a $5000 fine. These are new penalties that were created when amendments to the Criminal Code were made in 2004 in regards to offensive weapons.

We also want the public to be aware of items which are deemed prohibited weapons in Bermuda. The majority of these items are legal and easily acquired in other countries. These may include a flick knife, crossbow, slingshot, brass knuckles or a blowgun. It is important that travelers familiarize themselves with the list of prohibited articles before attempting to make any such purchases overseas. It has been noticed in recent years that people will make these purchases and be completely unaware that what they are doing is illegal until they reach Bermuda Customs. This list of prohibited items as well as all laws and amendments can easily be researched online at www.bermudalaws.bm.

The Bermuda Police Service would like to encourage all members of the public to be aware of weapons offences and weapons stashes in their neighborhoods. If you see an individual carrying any item which you think may be used as a weapon against another person, do not hesitate to call the Police to report the incident. If you come across any weapons which appear to have been hidden or stashed in your area, please call the Police at 295-0011 or our confidential Crime Stoppers number at 1-800-623-8477. All callers details will remain confidential.

The Bermuda Police Service would like to thank shop owners and staff that have been vigilant in their careful sale of items such as machetes and knives. We hope that other businesses will take note of who is attempting to purchase items that can be used to cause harm. If a youngster enters your store and tries to buy a machete, please question them or ask for a parent to accompany them. Something as simple as this can be a huge step in diverting a crime.

We ask members of the public that work with knives, gardening tools or anything else which could be deemed a weapon, to leave these items at work or immediately take them home upon completion of work. It will not be an excuse at 3:00am to say that the machete we just caught you with was used for trimming trees and that you just knocked off work. We have heard all the excuses and are able to easily investigate any claims made by an offender.

We urge parents to be aware of what their children are up to and where and with whom they hang out with. If you can, be aware of what items your kids are leaving the house with and take note of anything that could be deemed a weapon as previously described.   

• More Press Releases Here