best possible slant on the issue to the public but it's not having the desired affect because the most worrisome kinds of crime have increased.

Shadow Public Safety Minister Alex Scott made this claim in response to news that crime rates had dropped by a third in the first 11 months of this year.

Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness said on Friday that there were 1,328 fewer crimes from January to November 1996 compared to the same period in 1995.

While most crimes showed a decrease, murders doubled from three to six.

Sexual exploitation of a young person increased from eight to 13 or 62 percent and offences involving a firearm increased from 10 to 13 or 30 per cent.

Thefts from hotels also went up 31 percent or from 32 to 42 as did attempted murders (from five to six) and thefts from guest houses (two to six or 200 per cent).

Handbag snatches occurred with an eight percent greater frequency in 1996 from (40 to 43).

But Mr. Scott pointed out that these crimes were the ones most Bermudians feared the most.

And the intent of the selective reporting, he claimed, is to put the best possible spin on crimes during Mr. Coxall's tenure.

"The areas of greatest and gravest concern are up,'' he said. "And I am sure that if these same crimes are compared over the long run, the trend would show that they are up.

"But that still is not the most serious aspect. We have pointed out to the Commissioner that he should report drugs offences and he has undertaken to include them.

"What that shows is that the interdiction rates for illegal drugs are down with the exception of prescription drugs, even though the Narcotics Department has been beefed up.'' Mr. Scott said the Police Service has already acknowledged that drug addiction plays an integral role in many crimes.

But the conviction rate for drugs cases is down, he said, as is the reporting of these crimes.

"Drug crimes continue to plague Bermuda yet we do not seem to be getting a handle on it. We are making fewer seizures than before although it would appear that criminal activity based on drugs is up.

"This is where many of the assaults, robberies and thefts from the hotels are coming from.

"So as far as the Progressive Labour Party is concerned, Government does not have a handle on crime where it counts.

"We need statistics on the numbers of drug-addicted people who are engaged in criminal activity. Once we have that we need to assess whether those numbers are up or down over a period of at least five, but preferably ten years.

"That, in the PLP view, would allow us to really assess what we are doing about crime as a Country. A close look would tell us that it is not being contained and this should make us all gravely concerned.''