During the first ten weeks of the year Bermuda Police has seen an increase in the number of allegations of sexual assault against boys over the same period last year.

The Juvenile and Domestic Crime Unit said already this year it had received 17 reports of sex assaults against children, and at least two of those cases have multiple victims.

Some have involved young girls being plied with drink and then being taken advantage of. For the whole of last year, the unit received about 40 cases. Insp. Tracy Adams said about 50 percent of the sex assault complaints the unit received this year have been against boys. He said since the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse cases was introduced for care professionals in 1998, there had been a marked increase in the number of complaints being made.

But this year there had been a noticeable increase in the number of allegations concerning young boys.

Acting Sgt. Barry Richards said he had noticed already this year a rise in figures. He said: "We have definitely had an increase in the amount of cases that we deal with concerning sexual assault against young boys. It's difficult to know why. That has come to our attention during the first part of this year. I think there are more people reporting cases now. It is a possibility that it was always happening, but we just know about more now. However, it could also be possible that it's going on more."

The officers said some weeks the unit can receive five or six new cases of sex assaults against children. On average, the number is two or three. Insp. Adams said: "We may get three sex assault cases a week, but they may not all be true cases, but they are all investigated. We are only a quarter of the way into the year and already we have 17 cases reported to us. That is just sex assault on juveniles. For the whole of last year we had about 40 cases.

"Of those 17 cases reported to us, at least two of these are cases where we are talking about multiple victims."

"Although there are 17 cases, there are many more victims."

Insp. Adams said in most cases sex assaults on children are carried out by people who know them. In some cases, the perpetrators were victims themselves as children.

Some victims only raise the alarm after it has been happening for months and years, and others speak sooner.

But each are treated equally.

However, Insp. Adams said alcohol was also beginning to play a big role in the number of attacks on young children.

He added: "A lot of the cases we have had this year have involved children who have been involved in alcohol. Alcohol has been a big factor in sex assaults, where girls have been given drink.

"Recently, we had one girl as young as 11-years-old. What we are facing is that some of these young kids are drinking themselves and, as a result of their drinking, they find themselves being taken advantage of."

But Insp. Adams said between 75 and 80 percent of complaints received by the unit are proved as true complaints. That is not to say that other cases are not true, but the Director of Public Prosecutions may not believe there is enough evidence to prosecute.

And compared to other jurisdictions, the officers said they believed Bermuda had a high number of sex assaults on children, particularly as the population was so small.

But the size of the Island is probably why the figure is so high, they said.

"We believe it is down to the size of the Island and the fact that everybody knows each other," said Acting Sgt. Richards.

"It is society and the structure of the Island, and the closeness of the Island. That is all we can put it down to."