The Island is in danger of becoming less safe because Bermudians are failing to report crime, Senate Opposition leader Maxwell Burgess claimed yesterday.

Sen. Burgess said he was concerned that Bermudians were under-reporting petty crime because they feared it would not be investigated properly.

He said: "Society is at risk when it cannot get a good handle on crime as a consequence of under-reporting.

"We are all aware of larger countries where Police officers have been found guilty of under-reporting crimes.

"I don't believe that to be the case in Bermuda but I believe there is a somewhat deep level of despair among Bermudians as to whether it was worth their time to report every level of crime.

"It is not necessarily the most serious of crimes, but remember under-reporting any section of crime puts at risk under-reporting all levels.

"If we hope to have a handle on crime, the key to that must be that we have the citizenry prepared to report crime and have the confidence that once they do that, all will be okay.

"As we have an erosion of the reporting of crime, we put at risk our visitors and our business and social interests.'' He said he was encouraged that Government had brought in overseas Police officers to deal with the shortage of staff, but it was now up to Bermudians to report the true level of crime to them.

Sen. Burgess said he was concerned that drugs dealers thought they were "untouchable,'' but he was heartened that more Bermudians are not prepared to tolerate this.

He added: "If drug dealers believe that they are free they will continue to prey on our young people and not so young, our visitors and our guests.

"The stress of living in Bermuda continues to transfer itself to the temptation of the easy buck (which) seems to be on the increase and we must do all we can to deter those who are encouraging the young to engage in drug dealing.'' He added that society should "turn the screws'' on dealers.

Government Senator Calvin Smith said: "The scary thing for me is that a few highly publicised attacks could do serious things to tourism and the financial industry in Bermuda.

"I am not sure the community is as conscious of the ramifications of this as it should be.'' Sen. Smith said the Island should look to countries like New Zealand which took a "holistic'' approach to youth crime.

"We need to take a holistic approach and take unified action. Other places in the world have a very advanced sociological form of taking a total point of view.'' He said the Island was coming out of the "mess'' of the last 50 years of racism when black youths considered the Police part of the race problem.

"That's behind us now, but has anyone had a campaign to say the Police are now a part of our society? We had the total indoctrination of kids and now that has to be undone.'' United Bermuda Party Senator Mark Pettingill said parents had to take more responsibility for their children's actions and should perhaps be hit financially if they fail in their duties.