the wake of two crimes against its citizens.

And while potential visitors have not been told to steer clear of the Island, the bulletin does draw attention to common sense practices which should be followed here.

The news follows two highly publicised crimes involving Canadians who were visiting the Island.

First, Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton was found dead on Ferry Reach Road in St. George's and then a Canadian senator and his two guests were robbed.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade stated in its advisory that despite the two incidents "attacks against foreigners are rare''.

It added that Bermudian crime statistics showed crimes against visitors in the first six months of 1996 were 37 percent lower than the same period in 1995.

But it warned: "Although the incidence of violent crime is rare, petty crimes do occur.'' It advised Canadians to exercise precautions such as not carrying large sums of money with them, ensuring that valuables in vehicles were kept out of sight and removed at night, and keeping valuables in sight while on the beach.

The advisory also said to avoid unpatrolled beaches at night and check with authorities to find out which beaches were patrolled.

A spokeswoman for the department, Elizabeth Blackburn, said the advisory had come about as a result of the amount of concern Canadians had raised about travelling to the Island.

When contacted yesterday, a spokeswoman for the Department of Tourism said Minister David Dodwell would respond to the news when he returned from a business trip in the US.

CRIME CRM