stance on the Police.

He accused his Opposition counterpart of continually attacking the Police and making their job more difficult.

"Perhaps we can hear Mr. Scott condemn criminals and the sellers of drugs to our children,'' he told the House of Assembly as Police Commissioner Colin Coxall looked on.

Mr. Scott took up the challenge, saying the Progressive Labour Party condemned all crimes.

He stressed criminals undermined Bermuda and destroyed their chances of deriving the most from living on the Island.

But Mr. Scott pledged to continue putting the Police Service under the fiercest scrutiny.

He said his criticism of the Service stemmed from complaints to him by Policemen.

The two politicians crossed swords during yesterday's House of Assembly debate on the Budget estimates for the Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Ministry.

In the past Mr. Scott has repeatedly lashed the appointment of Mr. Coxall and his former Deputy Commissioner Michael Mylod, both Britons.

He has also criticised the way former Assistant Commissioner Wayne Perinchief -- a Bermudian -- lost his job. And he has demanded greater efforts to Bermudianise the Service.

Mr. Coxall was sitting in the House near the Speaker's Chair when Mr. Edness mounted his attack yesterday. He remained impassive throughout.

Mr. Edness said Bermuda needed to be careful violent crime did not get out of hand.

He warned the Island had already suffered a sampling of "vicious crime'' which had rocked other jurisdictions.

But efforts to combat the problem, he complained, were not helped by Mr.

Scott's constant sniping at the Police.

While Government and the Police were attacking criminals, Mr. Scott was attacking the Police, he said.

And the same could be said of drugs and drug importation.

Mr. Edness also took Mr. Scott to task for claiming many black Policemen were out on the beat while white officers got plum jobs.

He said the statement was incorrect and had been designed to cause people to think ill of the Police.

"It was meant to destabilise Government efforts,'' Mr. Edness declared.

Mr. Edness said Mr. Coxall had done a "tremendous job'' in combating crime and training Bermudians.

Mr. Scott, however, said the Police Service had served Bermuda well before Mr.

Coxall's arrival.

And he complained the reputations of former Commissioners were being trashed.