How to Recognise and Report Gang Activity

Gang activity is one of the most prevalent crimes in Bermuda. Even children can be dragged into the widespread damage that gangs can do, often leading to violence, vandalism and theft. Knowing the signs of gang activity and what to do when you see it are important parts of keeping our communities safe, particularly for children. Read on to find out how you can do your part in preventing gang activity.

Signs of gang activity

Gun violence

Almost all of Bermuda’s gun crime is due to gang activity. If you witness any illegal firearms or people carrying knives, there is a chance that these can be traced back to a gang.

Suspicious behaviour in children

If your child suddenly stops going to school, starts dressing and behaving differently, has unexplained injuries or unexplained sums of money, this may indicate involvement with a gang. Adolescence is a very volatile time for children, and they are vulnerable to peer pressure or intimidation. Gangs often start by recruiting children as young as eight to hide or distribute goods, but then rope them in to more serious crimes like vandalism, violence, drug production and theft as they get older.

Groups squaring off

Most of the gang violence in Bermuda is insular – they fight with other gangs rather than civilians. Large groups intimidating or fighting each other may be a sign of gang activity, particularly when involving chants or weapons.

Gang signs

Many gangs have specific graffiti tags or hand signs. If you notice patterns in the vandalism around your area, this may point to the presence of gangs. You may see unfamiliar hand gestures frequently used. Both of these things can be used to signal, mark territory or tell stories to other gang members. Specific items of clothing, jewellery or tattoos may also be used to indicate membership of gangs. Often, each gang will have their own colour that appears in both their graffiti and uniform.

How to report gang activity

Police

Gang activity can be reported directly to the police by calling 911 in an emergency or 211 in a non-urgent situation.

Crime Stoppers Bermuda

If you have concerns for your safety if you make a report, you can anonymously report gang activity to Crime Stoppers Bermuda. We take the report you give us without any identifying information, then compile that into a report which is sent to law enforcement. Any personal details accidentally given will be removed before the report is shared. Even the police will not know that they are working with a Crime Stoppers tip.

Report crime anonymously

Any crime can be reported to Crime Stoppers Bermuda – not just gang activity. No matter what your reasoning is for wanting your identity to stay private, you can use our online form or call 800-8477 to share information. Our phone lines are answered by a call centre that does not see any caller ID, and our form does not collect any tracking information.

Call 800-8477 or use our online form to report anonymously.