a larger problem facing Bermuda, Devonshire South MP Mr. John Barritt said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the youths, who call themselves the "maintain crew'', wrote to The Royal Gazette appealing for help in finding them something else to do. And St.

Brendan's Hospital director Mr. George Simons announced he was holding a public meeting to discuss ways of tackling the problem.

Mr. Barritt believed the problem was not confined to Devonshire South, where St. Brendan's psychiatric hospital is located.

"I'm sure there are other neighbourhoods in Bermuda where people feel they are under siege at times,'' he said. "The question is, why are young people into anti-social behaviour in the evenings and early morning hours?'' Mr. Barritt was responding to claims by two fed-up area residents this week that the youngsters were a menace to the neighbourhood and were vandalising and trespassing on St. Brendan's property.

Denying that he had ignored their complaints, the MP said he was only contacted by the sister of one of the complainants, Mrs. Joan Daniels, on April 14.

And he said he had immediately spoken to Parish Sergeant Steve Dunleavy to see if patrols in the area could be stepped up.

But he pointed out, if the youths were only "hanging out'' on the wall opposite St. Brendan's, which was what they mostly did, Police could not do anything.

However, they did run the risk of prosecution if they were racing motorbikes, drinking beers in public and destroying St. Brendan's property, he said.

The "maintain crew'' said in their letter they had been "blamed for things we didn't even know about''.

People from "outside the neighbourhood'' had broken windows at St. Brendan's, they said.

As for the wall they sat on, they had repaired it when it fell apart. And they kept a trash bin next to it.

They added: "We cannot possibly be the ones `racing up and down on motorbikes' when mostly everyone travels by pedal cycles or walks.

"It is our neighbourhood and we do need somewhere to be together as friends.

"Everyone wants us to do something other than socialise together, instead of complaining, help us ask Government for something for us to do. Bermuda doesn't have anything for its youth. And Mr. George Simons and (Parish constable) Mr. John Lynch-Wade are two people who we can say have helped us instead of just complaining and we hope they will continue to help us because that is what this Island needs -- more adults who understand youth...'' Mr. Barritt said he and running mate the Hon. David Saul met over the issue last night and decided they would go into the neighbourhood to talk with residents.

He added he welcomed news of the public meeting next week and said he would be attending.

"I think it is a neighbourhood problem and it also needs to be addressed by residents and the parents of the kids,'' he said.

Mr. Simons said he was aware of windows at the hospital being broken and said Police had attended on "many occasions to quell noise''.

He was also aware of break-ins at the out-patient building, currently unoccupied.

However, for the most part, the youths gathered around a wall opposite the hospital.

And the person who owned the property apparently did not mind them hanging out there, he noted.

He also strongly refuted residents' claims he had not done anything to address the problem.

"For the last six weeks I have been working with the group of kids,'' he said. "We agreed to let them come onto the property, to our gymnasium, on Tuesdays and Fridays to play basketball.'' Mr. Simons said as a result of the complaints to The Royal Gazette he had organised a meeting at St. Brendan's next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

"It will be an open forum on the problem,'' he said.

"I would like as many parents and people in the community as possible to attend. They can't expect the hospital and Police to solve their community problems without their support. We need their input, their help and supervision of the kids.'' He hoped to come to a workable solution rather than forcing the kids to move.