Minister of National Security David Burch is to spearhead a campaign aimed at making it easier to demolish abandoned building used for illegal activity.Addressing the Senate yesterday, Senator Burch said the existing procedures to demolish a derelict building were complicated and long-winded.He said he intended to revamp the law to make the process faster and simpler if the site is used for illegal and anti-social behaviour.“Too many neighbourhoods, comprised of honest, law abiding citizens, are made to suffer because a vacant or derelict property has been converted for use by an anti-social element of society,” Sen Burch said.“In many cases, owners of such properties are resident overseas or are elderly and cannot maintain them as required.“Like many things in Government, the mechanism by which action can be taken with a vacant and derelict property is currently a burdensome and deliberately lengthy process.”To illustrate his point, Sen Burch produced a flow chart explaining the 15-step process between a Minister retrieving a report and the building being demolished. “When confronted with a process ––that could potentially take years, it became readily apparent that we could not help restore neighbourhood safety without a wholesale revision of the law in this area,” he said.Once drafted and approved, Sen Burch said the legislation would allow the Minister of National Security to apply to the Supreme Court for an order to demolish derelict premises, after exhausting other avenues and establishing both the building’s owners and that the only activity at the site is illegal or anti-social.He said he was working with the goal of having provisions considered by the legislature after the second term, which is usually devoted to matters regarding the budget.“This Government’s commitment to safer communities is real, and this plan for action addresses some long-standing concerns in several neighbourhoods,” he said.“We will continue to work every day on innovative solutions to improve the lives of all people in Bermuda.”Useful Websites: www.gov.bm.