The new head of the National Drug Commission reached out to the Island's religious leaders yesterday in his effort to set up a national drug abuse strategy.

Mr. Mansfield Brock, who assumed his post after previous chairman Mr. Alastair Macdonald resigned in July, urged the representatives of nine faiths to stamp out the "enormous problem'' of drug and alcohol addiction by working in partnership with the NDC.

"We need an army to fight a war,'' Mr. Brock told the clergymen, who had gathered in the Princess Hotel at the invitation of the newly formed Council Partners, a coalition of five anti-drug charities.

"One of our challenges is not only to recruit an army, but to act as a facilitator and co-ordinator to help that army work as a unit.

"This will require a national strategy.'' Among those in attendance were Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill, Anglican Bishop the Rt. Rev. William Down and Salvation Army divisional secretary Capt. Max Barrett.

Also present were representatives of the Lutheran Church, the Baha'is, the Christian Scientists, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Church of Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Unity Foundation of Truth and the New Testament Churches of God.

Mr. Brock, who was chairman of the Bermuda Monetary Authority prior to heading the NDC, stressed that he had no intention or desire of interfering with any of the church-operated drug programmes already in place.

Rather, Mr. Brock said, he sought to avoid duplication and encourage teamwork by "seeking information on the activities and programmes which are either being promoted, sponsored or supported by the Island's religious community.'' Bermuda's churches and religious organisations have traditionally provided a wide range of drug-related services, from youth-oriented education programmes to treatment centres and hostels.

"I doubt if there is a need for the NDC to establish another residential treatment facility for women on Victoria Street or a residence for men with alcohol problems on King Street,'' Mr. Brock said by way of example.

"First of all, we need to avoid doing anything which may conflict or compete with what you are (currently) doing.'' Mr. Brock said he has enlisted Mr. Calvin Ming Jr., the former executive officer of the National Alcohol and Drug Agency, to liaise between the NDC and the churches.

"Mr. Ming...has kindly consented and will seek to interview each of you individually,'' he said.

Added Mr. Ming: "I want to contribute as much as I can. It'll be a matter of finding out what the churches are doing, what problems they might have that we can help out with.

'' Mr. Ming said yesterday he has yet to begin his task.

Religious leaders, meanwhile, seemed willing to give the NDC their blessing.

"Sometimes we clergymen would like to keep our dignity by not saying too much,'' Pastor Mekbib Atnaw of the Ethipioan Orthodox Church told his colleagues.

While a number of "national drug strategies'' have been attempted in the past, many in the drug-fighting community said they were "very encouraged'' by the new spirit of co-operation among the NDC, the collaborative Council Partners and now the churches.

Mr. Brock, moreover, took yesterday's meeting as an opportunity to challenge a media report that questioned the effectiveness of the Lionsquest school initiative.

Lionsquest is one of the five Council Partners.

"Contrary to what you may have read in the Bermuda Sun about a month ago, there has been a significant reduction in the use of cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs in those schools which installed the Lionsquest programme,'' he said.

"This is a good reason for expanding the programme to all schools.''