breeze, your windows don't have safety locks or bars on them and are mostly of the louvred-type, don't be surprised if your home becomes one of the nearly 20 which are broken into every week in Bermuda.

That shocking figure is based on the number of burglaries (at night) and housebreakings (in the day) reported last year.

Crime Prevention Officer Det. Con. Chris Wilcox said according to those statistics and Government's estimate of 24,000 residential units in Bermuda, one in every 27 homes were broken into last year -- or between two and three every day.

And according to break-ins reported so far this year, it looks like the number will be even higher by the end of 1992.

Police have been receiving reports of break-ins nearly every day. Last Wednesday alone two homes on Middle Road, Smith's, were entered during daylight, with the thief in one case making off with US$1,900 in cash.

As a result of the increase in break-ins, residents and business owners are using more sophisticated methods to foil the thieves.

Some businesses have even resorted to putting up glass screens at service counters, which has been commonplace in the United States for years but is new to friendly, "laid-back'' Bermudians.

In most cases, however, it takes a break-in to push someone to take a serious look at the security of their property, Det. Con. Wilcox pointed out.

Silent alarms are becoming "big business'' in Bermuda, he said, with the number installed locally rocketing from 200 in 1982 to more than 1,000 in 1992.

Although many thieves have been caught in the act through the use of silent alarms, a lot of time has been wasted responding to false alarms, prompting Police to start fining people $100 for each false alarm over four.

Police continue to believe that only a handful of thieves are responsible for the rashes of break-ins occurring every week at homes and cottage colonies.

Det. Con. Wilcox explained that the number of break-ins often fell off after a well-known thief had been caught and locked-up.

Bermuda's thieves are not particularly sophisticated, he said. Most pick a neighbourhood with more than one speedy way to exit, and literally skip from door-to-door -- or window-to-window -- until they find a home that is insecure. Before targeting hotels, he said, thieves usually watch for a while and know when the guests go out.

Thieves tend to leave art, china, crystal and silver alone, he said, adding "cash is preferred''. If a thief does not find cash the first time it is likely he won't return, but if he does "he'll be back''.

When it comes to jewellery, thieves grab whatever is gold, not bothering whether it is real or a low carat. "They tend to discard stones,'' added Det.

Con. Wilcox.

Cheques are also often the target of thieves as are televisions, videos and stereos.

What do thieves do with the stolen merchandise? Det. Con. Chris Wilcox believes they pass it on to individuals who specialise in selling "hot goods''.

Gold jewellery is often melted down so it is unidentifiable and sold to Bermuda's undercover pawnbrokers for far less than its worth. The fact that someone has a gold pendant or television at a discount price soon gets around through word of mouth, he said.

But many thieves simply move the stolen goods out of the country and have them hocked at pawn shops in the United States.

According to Det. Con. Wilcox, most stolen jewellery goes out of the country, especially in the summer months with cruise ships offering thieves "the best deal''.

The thief gets to know someone who works on board, gives the stolen merchandise to them and gets the cash when they return, he explained. "That way they get a regular service,'' he said.

Most break-ins occur in the two most densely populated parishes, Pembroke and Warwick. Very few occur in affluent Tucker's Town because the road into it is so long, lessening a thief's chance of making good his escape.

The primary role of the Crime Prevention Department is to offer advice to the public and businesses and conduct security surveys of their property.

Even though the service is free, Det. Con. Wilcox said not nearly enough people are taking advantage of it. From 1979 to 1991 the Department gave just 1,671 talks and security surveys, he said.

The Department puts out a number of free crime prevention brochures, with a new one on the increasing crime of robbery -- theft by using threats or violence such as bank hold-ups -- due out later this summer.

The increase in robberies has prompted many businesses to install glass screens, as have Telco and Belco, step up security measures and lecture staff on detecting suspicious customers.

The brochures give detailed advice to residents on how they can make their homes less inviting to thieves.

According to Det. Con. Wilcox, the most secure homes are those with old Bermuda wooden sash windows and heavy wooden doors.

"It is more difficult to find window key locks to fit the newer metal sash windows and thieves can easily remove the panes in louvred or slat-windows and literally walk in,'' he said.

A good way to prevent break-ins if you have those types of windows is to fit them with expanding metal grilles (bars), which Det. Con Wilcox said are available locally, costing as little as $15.

Sliding glass doors can be secured with the special locks available for them and by screwing a strip of wood between the top of the door and top of the runner if there is a gap.

He pointed out many people do not realise thorny bushes or cacti planted below windows make thieves think twice about trying to get through them.

But on the other hand, planting leafy shrubs near windows can provide a good hiding place for a thief, he added.

Many people also do not realise that brazen thieves often use tools or a ladder found on the property to break into houses.

The most notable increase in crime has been in burglaries, Det. Con. Wilcox said.

In 1990 there were 183 and by 1991 the number had jumped to 325. There were 460 house break-ins in 1990 and 545 in 1991.

"Put together the number amounts to a very significant increase,'' he said, adding break-ins at cottage colonies and hand bag snatches are also on the rise.

IS YOUR HOME SAFE? -- Thieves often use your tools to break in, slip through open sliding glass doors or simply lift them out, or remove glass panes from louvred windows to gain access, according to the Police Crime Prevention Department. The drawing above is taken from one of many brochures the department puts out offering advice to the public on securing their homes.