COMINGANDGOING

ISLAND WATCH

Bermuda Shocks

On a recent trip to Bermuda, CoGo should have listened when a cab driver warned about crime on the island.

Crime? In Bermuda? CoGo, ordinarily on high alert, thought it was all pink sand and rum swizzles. Then two backpacks were stolen from our rental apartment -- while we were in it, sleeping, having inadvertently left the door unlocked.

Yes, CoGo should have known better. But still . . . Bermuda?

According to a May 22 story in Bermuda's Royal Gazette newspaper, crime is actually down significantly across the island, though locals' perception that it's on the increase remains. Indeed, everyone we talked to after the theft concurred that crime was an issue, but an avoidable one if you're careful.

"Despite a historically low crime rate, people can sometimes perceive it to be higher than it actually is," said Terence Gallagher, spokesman for the Bermuda Department of Tourism. "Still, [tourists should] use common sense . . . . Comparatively, it's a very secure island."

The Caribbean Tourism Organization's Hugh Riley agrees. "I'm not aware of any issue that makes Bermuda stand out as far as crime is concerned. Bermuda has been a very quiet, peaceful, comfortable place, and I honestly don't have any information to suggest otherwise." (The CTO represents Bermuda, even though the island is in the Atlantic.)

For its part, the U.S. State Department's Consular Information Sheet on the island says it has a "moderate but growing crime rate," and that "petty thefts and assaults occur regularly and have increased in intensity."

Take it from CoGo: Lock your door.