Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Is Bermuda safe?

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Caribbean Islands (https://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/)

- - Is Bermuda safe? (https://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/is-bermuda-safe-49424/)

Is Bermuda safe?

Is Bermuda safe? Are some areas off-limits for tourists?

Take a look ar www.Bermuda.com for a discussion on this topic in their forums. In the 30+ years I've been going there I'd say the place is overwhelmingly safe. If you take normal precautions with valuables and lock your door at night you should be in great shape. If there is an incident in Bermuda, the locals are usually even more upset than the tourists. They are used to getting along among themselves and with us.

Is Bermuda safe? Safe compared to what? Jamaica? yes,definitly. BVI or Aruba? probably not. Bermuda use to be much safer than it is today. To make up your own mind check out the Bermuda Gazzette website and the Bermuda Sun website on a weekly basis. You'll find the answer you're looking for. I think those websites are as follows: www.accessbda.bm and www.bermudasun.org.

I was in Bermuda about 8 years ago so things may have changed -- but I doubt it. The only two places I have felt complete secure were in Bermuda and Switzerland. We had a private car tour of the island and the thing that really struck me was the total lack of slums -- like Switzerland. I asked our guide where the poor lived and with an astonished look answered that they didn't have any poor -- like Switzerland. They have the same draconian immigration laws as Switzerland. Basically, only the rich need apply. Unlike the Caribbean, the poorest people are the tourists. They have created a economy that resembles a miniture Switzerland. The island is a haven for those who wish to avoid the tax man. It is also the cleanest place I have ever been, maybe with the exception of Switzerland. If anything, the tourists are stealing from the locals. If you're addicted to driving forget Burmuda, it is illegal to rent a car to a tourist. We cruised to Burmuda from NYC. On the way back, I had conversations with a number of Burmudians, and their favorite topic was how stupid I was to live in a country with taxes.

David, get off your anti-Bermuda kick! It's still safer than any island in the Caribbean! The only reason that poor Canadian girl was murdered a few years ago was because she was FOOLISH enough to leave a bar at 3 in the morning and hop on a moped with a total stranger!! Sorry to say, but that would be IDIOTIC in any country!!!

Anti-Bermuda? If I was anti-Bermuda I would have said Bermuda is very dangerous. Instead, I just tell it like it is. I think that people have the right to know the truth- that while Bermuda is probably one of the safest islands in the caribbean (which isn't saying a whole hell of a lot)that crime is on the rise and that just like any where else in this world, you have to be careful. The reason I make it a point to express this, is that I feel that the tourist industry as well as the Bermuda government try to make Bermuda out as a crime-free paradise. I ask people to make up their own mind- read the Bermuda Gazzette at www.accessbda.bm or the Bermuda Sun at www.bermudasun.org on a weekly basis and form their own opinion. As far as being like Switzerland and no poor- the majority of people over there are struggling to make it, working two or three jobs to get by. I rather pay taxes than have to work two or three jobs to get by.

Here's some clips of recent news articles... Two charged in 1994 murder of golf caddy By Patrick Burgess © Copyright by The Royal Gazette Ltd Bermuda, July 16, 1999 Police and prison officers packed a courtroom yesterday as two Pembroke men were charged with the murder of a golf caddy five years ago. And The Royal Gazette has learned there has been some developments in another unsolved murder from around the same time. Crime `a dagger at our heart' By Tim Greenfield © Copyright by The Royal Gazette Ltd Bermuda, July 26, 1999 Tourism Minister David Allen called for the public's help in fighting crime against tourists, attacks he described as a dagger at the heart of the country's economic life. He is concerned that recent events, in particular an attack on vacationers enjoying a carriage ride last week, could undo all the positive work done to boost US visitor numbers. The carriage incident followed an altercation between a tourist and a taxi driver at a nearby south shore beach, when it was alleged an American was threatened with a knife. Negative stories about tourist crimes travel across the Atlantic at the speed of light and are spread further by holidaymakers telling friends and relatives of their experiences. On an Island which has safety as a main selling point, the Minister said it was the responsibility of the public to help in solving crimes against visitors. Speaking to the House of Assembly late Friday, the Minister made a passionate plea for help in finding the culprit who snatched a bag from a couple riding in a horse and carriage at the Southampton Princess. "I want to express my growing concern at the level of crime against visitors," he said. "There just seems to be a growing danger of violence and disregard for the tourism lifeblood of this community. "I want people to know what a dagger at the heart of the economy these kinds of acts are. Each and every Bermudian should know this strikes against their livelihood." Mr. Allen warned that while Bermuda was not approaching the levels of crime seen in other destinations, it was vital to nip the issue in the bud. "We have to blow the whistle before we get to that extent. It will be a sad day if our hotels have to become virtually armed compounds." ...does any of this sound familiar?

ME again...No taxes in Bermuda? Hmmmm, check out this article: http://bermuda-online.org/economy.htm

It seems like David is just trying to be silly. There's a crime wave in Bermuda because of a six year old murder, and a woman having her purse stolen? As far as taxes, Burmuda relies on a very high customs duty on articles imported into the country. This is exactly the kind of tax the rich love. If Bill Gates lived in Burmuda how much of his total income would be subject to tax -- very little. Customs duties are a form of sales tax which is levied on the what you spend. The rich spend a very small percentage of their income. Bermuda doesn't have an income tax or inheritance tax. Those are the taxes that hit the wealthy.

By the way, David, you should get your geography straight. Bermuda is not in the Caribbean.

youre so funny! Now lets get back to what this forum is for...travel info, not personal attacks.

You may say, I got off the subject discussing customs duties. But beware, a duty that averages about 18% of purchase price can add substantially to your purchases. Unlike the European VAT, the duty is never refunded to tourists.

A previous poster said that Bermuda was "safer than any island in the Caribbean". Perhaps "many islands" should be substituted for "any island" to make that statement more accurate. Some of the Caribbean islands I've been on are as safe as Bermuda, if nor moreso. The islands that have a high crime rate give the whole Caribbean a bad rep, it seems.

Why does it feel like I'm on the highway when I am on these sites? You know the feeling when you drive that people want to run you off of the road when you are ahead of them or if you have passed them in traffic? This site is beginning to have the feeling of road rage. Shall we call it forum rage? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on a topic. When people need to reply to posts only to comment on another's thoughts, it seems kind of ridiculous. In a way, I guess I'm being kind of ridiculous wasting my time with this post, but.....I felt the need to express myself, especially since I can't do that on the highway. Please enjoy the forum and let people express their own ideas without being chastised. Thanks!

1. Saba is one island in the Caribbean which is supposed to be virtually crime-free. 2. Bermuda and the Bahamas are both not in the Caribbean and not in any of the other areas for which there are forums. Perhaps this forum should be called "Caribbean islands, Bahamas and Bermuda".

For your information... Visitor in intensive care after attack By Raymond Hainey © Copyright by The Royal Gazette Ltd Bermuda, August 4, 1999 A brutal mugging, which left an American visitor in critical condition in hospital, has led to fresh calls for a legal crackdown on crimes against tourists. And Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said crimes against visitors should attract tougher sentences than similar offences against residents. He said: "We have to start considering that crimes against tourists are crimes against the economy. "And we have to start looking at crimes against tourists being treated more severely than crimes against locals. "Whether it's higher fines, stiffer prison sentences or whatever, we have to think about this." Mr. Dodwell lashed out after a 29-year-old US visitor was beaten and robbed in a horrific city centre attack. The man was rushed to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with a suspected fractured skull. A hospital spokeswoman last night confirmed the man - who has not been named by Police - remained in Intensive Care, but reclassified his condition as "fair".

Bermuda is relatively safe. However you still have to be careful. There is a significant drugs problem on the islands. Along with this comes the inevitable crime.