Recent events such as the Spinning Wheel nightclub shootings and the fatal stabbing of an office worker by her husband in broad daylight have shaken the image of Bermuda as a safe and civilised vacation destination.

On the street, in schools and in the home, violence is increasingly becoming a way of life for many Bermudians. But, as the latest issue of RG Magazine reveals, the stories that hit the headlines are only the tip of the iceberg.

In the March magazine, free with tomorrow's edition of The Royal Gazette , senior writer Robin Zuill reports that Police figures show that there was a serious assault in Bermuda every ten hours in 1993. The figures for 1994 are expected to be higher.

She writes: "Police and those who live and work on the streets. ..say that often assaults go unreported to avoid attracting attention, whether it's to the home or to the neighbourhood where drugs are being sold.'' An increasing number of guns are available on the streets for rent or sale and, as one streetwise 22-year-old told Zuill: "A lot of guys have guns. It's just been luck one of them hasn't landed in the wrong person's hands.'' On a lighter note, this month's RG takes a new twist on wedding traditions in its annual bridal issue.

There's a dramatically different look at wedding fashions, photographed by Marshall DeCouto, and model Erica Jenkinson, a student at Bermuda High School, is featured on the cover.

RG writers also give brides and grooms some new ideas on everything from registries to rehearsal dinners.

Also in the March issue, Marina Esplin-Jones takes an in-depth look at the impact of the fish pot ban, which came into effect five years ago this month.

In the feature, the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, the Environment Minister who enforced the controversial ban, reveals for the first time that Cabinet colleagues pressured her to give in.

"Some of my colleagues wanted me to back down,'' Bermuda's `Iron Lady' tells Esplin-Jones. "They were getting nervous.'' Among the other features in tomorrow's 76-page magazine: Travel visits seductive Seville, I-Spy spies on arts critic Andrew Trimingham, Collections shares a cup of espresso with TV cook Edward Bottone and Roger Crombie gets his skates on.

It's only in RG Magazine and it's free only with tomorrow's edition of The Royal Gazette .