Street enforcers the Police Support Unit are to go full time, Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton announced yesterday in the House of Assembly. He said the PSU had made more than 2,600 arrests since established in 2001.

Currently drawn from watch strength Government will make it a full-time unit of 22 officers.

Eleven new officers have been budgeted for this year with the other half coming the next.

Mr. Horton said: "This provision demonstrates Government's commitment to provide the Bermuda Police Service with additional resources to counter crime in this country.

"The PSU will be specifically deployed to deal with many of the problems that plague some of our neighbourhoods: public order offences, drugs, anti-social behaviour and gang related activity."

The Minister said additional recruiting here, in the Caribbean and the UK would staff the unit which is equipped with riot gear and patrols the Island's hot spots in paddy wagons.

Mr. Horton said: "Week in, week out, the Service's Police Support Unit has been on the front line in dealing with a host of public order offences from one end of the island to the other."

The unit often teams up with the 17-strong Narcotics street enforcement team to make street level drug arrests, said Mr. Horton.

In 2003 225 kilos were seized, down from the previous year, although seizures of Ecstasy increased. Mr. Horton said this was due to improved border controls the previous year causing drug importers a rethink and a new visa regime for Jamaicans. Police have funds for 451 officers although the current figure is 422 of which 66 percent are Bermudian.

Recruitment continues for parish-based Community Beat Officers to work with the neighbourhoods, set up Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and oversee liquor licensing. Fourteen of the 23 posts are filled.

The Financial Investigation Unit is also being strengthened by three constables and two civilian staff to meet extra workload from the Proceeds of Crime Act which allows criminals' financial assets to be seized.

The Police budget rose 11.2 percent this year but most of the extra $4.8 million went towards a new pay settlement. Work on the new Hamilton Police Station and court building, on the corner of Court and Victoria Street, will begin this year said Mr. Horton although detailed design drawings are still being done. Around $27 million has been put aside for the project which will stretch into 2007 and money will also be spent on repairing the current dilapidated building in Parliament Street.

The planning application for the new Southside Police station went in last week but Mr. Horton reassured St. George's residents that the current station will remain in use.

Once Southside is fully functioning as the main hub of East End Policing, St. George's will have 24-hour a day duty officer as well as a detective and community beat officer covering the Old Town eight hours a day, five days a week.