Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva last night declared a significant drop in Bermuda’s crime rate over last year’s figures.In unveiling the Island’s statistics for the third quarter of 2011, the force attributed a “significant recovery of weapons and ammunition” to increased help from the community.The report credited a drop in arrests, along with stop and searches, to a decline in gang activity, and a decrease in “the congregating of known gang members, particularly in priority neighbourhoods” areas which have borne the brunt of recent police search efforts.In total, ten guns, plus one replica and two stun guns, have been picked up by police this year so far.The first half of this year saw 27 confirmed gun incidents, which jumped to 37 in the third quarter.The ten recorded this quarter included no deaths, but two injuries, with police collecting a total of five guns and one imitation plus 400 rounds of ammunition.Seven people have been convicted for gun crime this year, with 16 more indicted and awaiting trial.In other categories:l Drug seizures remain about average, but during the latest quarter, the quantity and value of drugs seized rose: an estimated $42 million worth of drugs was captured with the help of other agencies. The total value for the year currently stands at $48.85 million.l Arrests fell about 300, to 1,033, during this quarter. Stop and searches declined by a quarter, to 4,425.l Crimes against the person, ranging from robbery to assault and murder, stand at 163 the third-lowest in 11 years.l Crimes against the community, which include weapons offences and antisocial behaviour, dropped to 204 for quarter three, down 27 offences or 12 percent from the same period last year.l Total crime continues to fall, with the third quarter weighing in at 1,076 roughly 12 reported each day. That figure is 5.5 percent down on the previous quarter, and 14.5 percent down on the same period in 2010.Both residential and commercial burglaries are also down, police said.Out on the roads, collisions overall dropped to 497 this quarter, hailed by police as “one of the lowest for four years”.There were 9,413 traffic tickets issued slightly below average.Police also reported a drop in the number of calls for service, but said they received 10,455 calls in total in the third quarter of 2011 a marked increase, and the second-highest number of record.l Useful website: www.police.bm.