Around 30 people turned up to take the first steps in taking back the West End parishes from drug pushers last night.

Michelle Duhart of Communities That Care took them through key pointers to building healthy communities at the meeting at St. James Hall, Sandys. She said it was important to target youngsters for help before they reached adulthood.

She said: ?As kids get older we loosen the reigns but as they get older they need more supervision. We need to know who their friends are and who their friend?s parents are.?

She said the recent youth conference had shown children were crying out for boundaries and she said people should not be afraid of challenging unruly youths. The Communities That Care programme started in Bermuda in Hamilton Parish and is being helped along by the The National Drug Commission and the The Family Centre.

Romel Woolridge, of The Family Centre, said some of Hamilton?s youth had got involved with the Communities That Care programme, even though it was primarily adult orientated. She said: ?Children thrive when they are given responsibility.?

She said the programme works by identifying problems and matching up people to resources that can help.Martha Dismont, also of The Family Centre, said Hamilton Parish would soon be unveiling how they were tackling drugs.

She said: ?We believe Sandys parish is one of the most ready parishes.? Training days will be planned and names were taken for those interested with the idea of linking up with Sandys Parish council. Tonight Ms Duhart will make a similar presentation to Devonshire, Paget and Pembroke residents at the BIU Building in Hamilton from 5.30pm to 6.45pm.