being heavy handed when they arrested a woman who had failed to pay several parking tickets.

Chief Insp. Gertrude Barker said on Wednesday that she saw "nothing wrong'' in the way that six officers behaved when called to the home of Rosemary Pedro last Sunday morning.

In a report in Wednesday's Bermuda Sun, Ms Pedro, who has been running a highly publicised campaign for affordable housing, accused the officers of "questionable behaviour''.

Ms Pedro claims she called the Police after discovering a former boyfriend at her home brandishing a machete. One officer arrived and the situation was eventually diffused.

But about 20 minutes later, six officers in three squad cars returned to execute an arrest warrant on the mother of four because she had not paid several parking tickets.

"The Police have to do everything in their power to do the job as they see fit and I see nothing wrong in the way the officers behaved in this matter,'' Chief Insp. Barker said.

She added that, because an arrest warrant had been issued by a magistrate, the officers would be neglecting their duty if they did not make the arrest.

A Police spokeswoman said the reason why so many officers arrived was because, when first called to the scene by Ms Pedro, they believed her former boyfriend was armed.

One squad car immediately rushed to the scene and called in back-up just in case the situation became violent.

The spokeswoman went on to say that Ms Pedro was only detained for one hour before being released and that her own mother remained at the house to care for the children.

"The first Police officer called for back-up because he believed a machete was at the scene,'' the spokeswoman said.