People are being urged to come forward with ideas to help the new joint select committee on crime.

The group, chaired by Progressive Labour Party backbencher Randy Horton, held its first meeting yesterday to discuss how it will address Bermuda's soaring gang violence problems.

Mr. Horton said the team of seven cross-party politicians will be encouraging the public to make presentations or written submissions based on their own research. "We are going to be inviting the public to participate. They will have an opportunity to present us anything that can assist, like a credible report or a presentation," the former Home Affairs Minister told The Royal Gazette.

Many of the meetings will be held in public, said Mr. Horton, with further details about how people can take part to follow in the coming weeks. The committee will compile a report to be tabled in the House of Assembly's first sitting of 2011.

PLP backbencher Ashfield DeVent, Whip Lovitta Foggo, and Senator Walton Brown, United Bermuda Party MP John Barritt and Senator Michael Dunkley, and Bermuda Democratic Alliance MP Shawn Crockwell make up the rest of the committee.