Bermuda Theft - Tourists Robbed
Like any other place on the earth, Bermuda too is not free of crime. However, much of that has to do with internal violence. Tourists in general are unaffected, although there have been several cases of snatching. It is strongly recommended that you do not leave your bags or valuables unattended at a public place such as a beach. Also if you are using a scooter, it is advisable to keep your personal belongings in the scooter basket and keep it locked.
Following are some instances of theft and robbery in Bermuda that have taken place over the past few years. While the account below is by no means exhaustive, I have tried to sample some instances over the recent past so that the visitors are aware of the prevailing situation and
can take necessary safety measures. The instances below are given chronologically. As you go down below, you will find more recent updates and instances.
April 26, 2010
Theft in Bermuda has been in the rise in recent times. Although home robbery in Bermuda has come down to 9 years low, petty theft has been going up. This is particularly so for tourists who leave valuables unattended on a crowded beach or in the scooter basket.
Today a Canadian tourist, a 52 year old lady was robbed of her valuables while she was pillion riding a rented scooter. She and her male companion were heading for Kings Wharf Dockyard. The incident took place in Scaur Hill at Sandys Parish at 11:40 p.m.
Two unidentified men appeared on a motorbike from behind and took away a black duffel bag from the rental scooter's basket and fled towards east. There were cash and mobile phones in the bag. Although there has been no injuries, the couple were quite terrified with the incident. Police has been looking for witnesses and trying to identify the culprits. One thing seems to be quite apparent that the men on bike were following the tourists and knew that they had kept the bag in the scooter's unlocked basket.
April 25, 2011
A 48-year old American tourist was hit on the head by local man in an attempt for robbery. This happened at
Queen Elizabeth Park in Hamilton near the public restroom facilities on Queen Street. Fortunately a person from the public intervened and stopped the robbery from taking place. Although the visitor was injured, he did not finally require hospital treatment. The incident took place at 5.25pm when the visitor and his 42-year old friend were accosted by the culprit.
July 7, 2011
Two black men on a bike pulled up alongside a married couple riding a rental scooter in the St. George's area around 6pm. The couple were American tourists. The black men in their 20s snatched the bag off the shoulder of the female tourist and fled off. The tourists tried to chase them but the culprits escaped through Paynters Road. The incident took place on Stables Lane. No one was injured though.
July 8, 2011
This incident took place in Hamilton Parish on the North Shore Road and near the junction with the Coney Island Road. Two tourists, one male and the other a lady were riding two separate rented scooters when they were attacked by two black men on a bike at around 4:15pm. This resulted in a collision with the scooter of the male tourist. One of the culprits ran away with his knapsack while the other rode off. The male tourist was injured as a result of the collision and has been treated in the hospital. The female tourist was unhurt.
September 20, 2011
Two tourists who were riding a scooter along the South Road in Smith's Parish were robbed by men on a bike. It appears that the two men on a red motorcycle came from behind and snatched a handbag from the basket of the rented scooter which the tourists were riding. The bag contained cash, a Sony camera and other personal items. No one was injured although the robbers fled towards the eastern side. The incident took place near the Junction of South Road and Morer Estate Road at around 3:20pm.
October 8, 2011
Two unknown locals on a bike came and snatched the bag of a 51-year old Canadian tourist who was riding her rental cycle along the South Road in Southampton Parish. The bag contained her Digital camera and other personal belongings. The incident happened near the area called Turtle Place. The tourist was not injured though.
October 26, 2011
A burglar broke into a guesthouse in Hamilton Parish early in the morning and took away purse containing cash from two female tourists. The two of them had received minor injuries and were treated at the guesthouse by the Emergency Medical Team. In another occasion, a couple had been walking on the Tuckers Town Road when the handbag of the female visitor was snatched away by two men who came on a bike from behind. The bag contained cash, cell phone and other personal items.
November 18, 2011
A 38-year old woman tourist was accosted by three men when she was riding a cycle early in the morning at Pompano beach in Southampton parish. At knifepoint, the goons snatched away her purse containing cash, cell phone and other personal belongings. She received minor injuries but didn't have to be admitted to a hospital.
January 25, 2012
The same story continues. There was an attempt to rob a 29-year old woman. She was riding a motorbike along the Harbor Road in Paget when two persons on another motorcycle came on her side. The pillion rider from the criminal's bike accosted the woman and tried to snatch her bag. A passing motorist came to her rescue. The criminals fled on foot empty-handed. The woman received minor injuries. The incident took place in the evening.
March 5, 2012
Two armed men one with a gun entered a guest cottage in Southampton parish and robbed American visitors who were staying there. The criminals, two black men fled with two mobile phones, cash and a laptop. Nobody was injured in the incident.
November 2012
police have been warning the two wheeler riders to properly lock their scooters and motorbikes after parking them. There have been several cases of theft in recent times where scooters and motor bikes have been stolen in Hamilton City most of which were kept unlocked, or the keys were left at the ignition.
August 19, 2013
This incident took place at Horseshoe Bay Beach, probably the most popular tourist place in the island. On August 19 afternoon, when a tourist (who arrived on the same day by a cruise ship) left his backpack with his sister and stepped into the water, two black men grabbed the bag and ran off. The beach was crowded. The bag contained three passports, cash and tokens. However the beach guards and park rangers were active and could nab the two men who were later handed over to police custody.
November 11, 2013
Two teenagers have allegedly snatched the purse of a 76 year old woman who was walking along Parsons Road in Pembroke. The purse had $150 cash in it.
August 5, 2014
Two thieves on a scooter came from behind and snatched a bag from the basket of two tourists who too were riding a rented scooter. The incident took place in the afternoon (at 2:48pm) in Warwick parish while the tourists were riding their scooter along South Road near Astwood Cove.
June 2018
An elderly Canadian couple John and Darlene Kersey were shocked to see their belongings stolen as they kept their bag on a bench at
Shelly Bay Beach and went to the water. Within minutes as they turned back, the bag was missing. The bag contained US$1,000 and Canadian dollar 1,000, credit cards, key for the rented scooter, camera they had been using to click holiday photographs and few other things. A person in a company work-van reported that he saw a man running with a bag which matched the description provided by the couple. Nothing could be recovered though.
May 7, 2019
Handbag of a woman was snatched by an unidentified motorcyclist at 9pm on Woodlands road in Pembroke. The woman fell down and struck her head. The bag contained cash and personal belongings. The man is yet to be nabbed.
October, 2022
There has been an increase in theft of unattended parked vehicles including cars and motorcycles. There has been a police advisory on do's and don'ts while parking vehicles in public parking.
Always lock unattended vehicles,
Take valuables with you or hide them,
Mark and lock away tools left in unattended vehicles.
Important Contacts
In case you face any such emergency or like to report an incident that you may have witnessed, call up one of the numbers below depending on your location (west, east or central)
Bermuda Western Criminal Investigation Unit on 441/234-1010
St. George’s Criminal Investigation Unit on 441/293-2222
Or simply call the Crime Stoppers hotline 800-8477
Related Articles
1) Check out
Crime in Bermuda to know about the overall crime situation in Bermuda including serious criminal activities and their trends.
2) Check out
Bermuda Safety Guide to understand the various threats and dangers in the island and what are the safety measures.
3) Check out
Bermuda News for latest updates on what's happening in the island.
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Visitors' Reviews and Comments
Frauds and Swindlers in Bermuda: Are there potential swindlers in Bermuda who roam around in the open, disguised may be as a tourist guide and deceive you to make money?
Judy McCauley (October 2012)
Hi Raj, I sent a question about the beach we'll be staying at. Thank you ever so much for the fast response. It really put my mind at ease. Now for another question. My husband and I are both in our early 70's and our concern is about returning to our hotel after dark. We will be staying at the Coco Reef. They say it is a ten minute walk down the hill to the bus stop. As we will surely want to travel around the island, there will surely be many nights we shall arrive by bus back to our hotel. Am I just being a Nervous Nellie or what? Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. Frivolous to some but a concern for us. Best Wishes and God Bless.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) Oct 2012
Hi Judy, In general Bermuda is quite safe. I haven't heard of theft or snatching for several months that has affected tourists. Most of the violence in the island are internal. Having said that, I would advice not to walk on lonely streets very late at nights or too early in the morning, and do not carry valuables with you. Like any other place in the world, Bermuda too is not free of crime.
In your case, you can avail Bus #2 and #7 to reach your hotel from Hamilton. The last bus of route #2 from Hamilton is at 5:45pm and of route #7 is at 9:15pm. It takes about 15 minutes to reach Elbow beach. So if you are taking a bus back, you can't be too late anyway. Taxi is always safe. So I see no problems. Check out Bermuda Safety Guide to know all the safety measures that you can take during your stay in the island.
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