Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Randy Horton has pledged that tough new laws increasing the powers of arrest could be introduced in the next parliamentary session.

But he was remaining tight-lipped over the specifics, saying it would be discussed in Cabinet ?very, very shortly.?

Government has already pledged, in last year?s Throne Speech, to designate sports clubs as increased penalty zones.

It?s anticipated anyone found guilty of committing a violent or drug offence at or near a sports facility will face a harsher punishment and greater fine in the courts than had they committed the offence elsewhere.

Mr. Horton told : ?We want to look at the powers of arrest available.?

He said broader powers were being sought but declined to reveal more before discussing it with Cabinet.

The next parliamentary session starts in early May. Mr. Horton said: ?It could come in that session. We are moving along as quickly as we can.?

Although Bermudians were shocked about the violence witnessed at St. George?s the problem is nothing new for the Island.

In February, an Ireland Rangers player confronted a Somerset Trojans player with a knife following an emotion-packed match in which four players were sent off.

The victim was reportedly grabbed from his motorcycle as he left the ground and threatened at knife-point by a Rangers player, who was among a group of team-mates.

In October last year violence erupted following two football matches at Southampton Oval. Devonshire Cougars player Shaki Minors was set upon by thugs as he left the ground. Two weeks later a Social Club player suffered minor head injuries after being attacked by a group of men following the match between Social Club and PHC Zebras.

In 2002, a gang of thugs armed with machetes, baseball bats and other weapons including a Samurai sword caused havoc at Devonshire Recreation Club during a Martonmere Cup semi-final.

There were a number of incidents late last year at football clubs around the Island in which players have been assaulted by people at the ground.