Increased willingness of criminals to carry guns on the streets of Bermuda has led Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith to consider having a full-time Emergency Response Team (ERT).

The unit has expanded in recent years but is made up largely of staff drawn from other units when needed who are now responding to an increasing number of incidents.

Yesterday met firearms, public order and officer safety training co-ordinator Sgt. Russell Matthews and Training Centre Acting Insp. Jeffrey Baron to look at what was being found on the streets of Bermuda. Just this week Police recovered an air pistol which looks like a standard Smith and Wesson and is liable to land the owner in just as much trouble as the real item.

The gun could easily kill if fired at an eye or temple while an armed Policeman, taking a split decision, might have shot the gunman wielding such a replica.

Sgt. Matthews said: ?If they come up against an armed Police officer they are potentially going to be shot.?

Even having the gun on the streets will put the owner at as much risk of prosecution as having an authentic one and could net them a two-year jail term.

Packed in a swanky moulded carrying case with ammo clip space, it seems unlikely to have much sporting use but more likely to be about boosting street bragging rights.

Unable to divulge how it was recovered Act. Insp. Baron said: ?For me the alarming thing is that this is on the street and real guns are on the streets.?

His colleague, who has been in the unit for 17 years, said: ?Seventeen years ago people who had firearms would not be carrying them around on the street. They would use them for whatever and hide them again.?

It is all part of an alarming trend with Police dealing with a surge in lethal edge weapons such as knives and machetes which can pose just as much danger as firearms.

Also revealed by Police yesterday was a nine-millimetre Beretta seized during operations and now safely stored in their armoury. Last year Police seized three pistols with 9mm diameter ammunition. The haul included a Beretta, a Ruger and a Franz Stock, two air pistols and a stun gun but Police fear there could be many more out there.

This year one pistol, two air pistols, two stun guns and pepper spray has been recovered while all sorts of ammunition has been brought in.

Police have also been recovering a growing number of illegal stun guns, widely available in the States, which give a painful electrical charge when held against a victim.

Some slim versions look like torches and come in innocent-looking carrying cases while pepper spray can be concealed on a key ring.

Police in the US and UK are now equipped with tasers which fire barbs 21 feet to connect with weapon wielding opponents and shock them. It keeps the attacker at distance and under control without resorting to more lethal response. Sgt. Matthews said: ?My personal opinions is we should have some type of taser.?

?The subject we are dealing with knows what they are going to do. We have to react to what they are going to do more often than not.?

But Police are not helpless. Although reluctant to discuss their weaponry and numbers, understands the ERT is armed with the ultra-reliable and accurate Heckler and Koch carbine known as the MP5.

Although in Bermuda it is set to fire only single rounds, elsewhere the nine-millimetre MP5, which many people confuse with a machine gun, can be set to fire in bursts or to empty its 30-bullet chamber in seconds.

ERT officers also carry lightweight plastic Glock pistols strapped to their legs.

Included in the ERT armoury is the Arwen 37, described as the ?less lethal option?, which fires three-inch long baton rounds to knock people over before an arrest is made. It was successfully used in a siege in Somerset years ago, avoiding more deadly weaponry being brought into play. CS spray, which causes stinging and itching in the eyes and throat, is also an option to temporarily disable suspects.

Officers are also equipped with bullet proof vests and helmets made from Kevlar, a super-strong fabric which can stop a pistol bullet or blade.

ERT Officers are trained to ?shoot to stop? rather than ?shoot to kill? meaning single rounds are fired with a new decision about every new shot.

However most are as acting as backup in case public order events turn ugly.

Sgt. Matthews says in 17 years he has not had to shoot anyone and is quite glad about that. Professional training means negotiators can help take the sting out of the situation before the lead starts flying.

He moved to the unit early in his Bermuda career, attracted by the exacting standards needed. ?It is the highest end of Policing you can get.?

Those joining the unit need ultimate fitness and a cool head and while there is always a long queue of those wishing to join, standards are exacting.

Fire routines involve getting the adrenaline pumping through exercises to simulate the stress of confrontation. The training is a deadly necessity said Acting Insp. Baron. ?We are doing a lot more jobs than years ago.?