Bermuda’s crime rate has fallen to its lowest since 2000, according to Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva.Mr DeSilva revealed that police recorded a total of 834 offences in the second quarter of this year, making it the fourth consecutive quarter in which less than 1,000 crimes were reported.And 19 percent fewer offences were reported in the first half of the year than the same period in 2012.“These numbers should be encouraging to all Bermudians and all residents,” he said. “It doesn’t, however, indicate that the problem has been solved or that the police will let up, but it is a positive trend worth acknowledging.”While Mr DeSilva said that while the first half of the year has not been without tragedy — noting the five road deaths and three murders that were recorded — he said gang violence has fallen to its lowest rate in four years.A total of nine firearms have been recovered, including five conventional handguns, two BB guns and two imitation firearms.Of the weapons, one has been linked to seven offences and another linked to two.“These weapons have now opened up potential lines of enquiry that weren’t there previously, and will hopefully lead to the progression of some of our open cases to the point where charges can be laid against culprits who are still at large,” Mr DeSilva said.The Commissioner said the police service does not believe there is a proliferation of firearms on the Island, saying that evidence suggests the opposite.“The circle of influence of people who can get their hands on a firearm isn’t very many people,” he said. “We are linking the same people to a number of crimes.”Compared to the same period in 2012, the number of offences has fallen by 19 percent. Robbery rates have fallen by 44 percent in the first half of the year, burglary has fallen by 40 percent, anti-social behaviour has fallen by 27 percent and vehicular theft has fallen by 15 percent.In the first half of the year an estimated $1.86 million of drugs were seized by police, customs and through overseas intervention — significantly less than the $5.13 million seized during the same period last year.“Drug enforcement activity has declined over the last four quarters from an average of 175 offences to 75 offences per quarter,” the Commissioner said.“This decline appears to coincide with a decline in stop and searches over the same four quarter period, from about 2,300 per quarter to just over 1,100 per quarter, or about 52 percent fewer searches.”He said that it would be foolish for him to say the worst of the gang violence has passed, but he felt the arrests and convictions of gang members has made a difference.“We said they would end up either in prison, outside the jurisdiction for their safety or dead, and we have seen all of those three things happen and that has had an impact on crime itself,” he said.The Commissioner said credit for the falling crime rate must be shared throughout the community, adding: “It would be very easy to stand here and say it’s all the police but that’s simply not true.“Bermuda’s collaborative efforts over the past several years are bearing fruit now.”l Useful website: www.bps.bm