Nightclub owners are set to launch a huge crackdown on violence by joining forces with Police and the Chamber of Commerce.

The move could lead to a ban list being drawn up from a new register of troublemakers.

And there would be regular meetings between Police chiefs and club bosses to clamp down on clubland crime.

The plans were discussed at a Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday after another weekend of violence at Bermuda's nightspots.

Chamber President David Rowntree told The Royal Gazette : "Violence in nightclubs is something we need to get a handle on.

"There is no reasons why regular meetings and a list of known offenders cannot be organised through the Chamber of Commerce.

"It is something which will be discussed at a Chamber meeting this afternoon.'' Four men were stabbed in an early morning gang fight outside the Clayhouse Inn on Sunday.

There were other brawls at the Odyssey nightclub, where an 18-year-old needed hospital treatment after being hit in the face with a bottle.

The fighting spread down Front Street and clubbers leaving Oasis were also caught up in the skirmishes.

And a 30-year-old Pembroke woman claimed she was sexually assaulted by a man who had smashed 12 glasses at the Swinging Doors on Court Street early yesterday.

Viv Redford, co-owner of Oasis, said: "We are calling for monthly or quarterly meetings with other nightclub owners and Police.

"There also needs to be a troublemakers' register so we know exactly who these people are, which clubs they go to and whether or not we need to ban them.

"The problems of violence around clubs are not going away, in fact they are increasing.

"But most of the trouble actually happens outside the club, rather than inside.'' Mr. Redford said Oasis had trained security guards and sophisticated security equipment including closed-circuit TV and an instant silent panic alarm straight to Hamilton Police Station.

"We don't tend to involve the Police unless it's something we can't control ourselves,'' he added.

"We do have informal meetings with the Police and we know the watch commanders quite well.

"There is a great deal of rapport now with Police on the beat and officers do come in undercover.

"But now it is time for a regular, official relationship so we all know exactly how to tackle the problems together.'' Choy Aming, manager at the Clayhouse Inn, said: "We have got to get some kind of talking going. Violence is affecting all of us. In fact, these incidents are destroying us and it's practically a gang war.'' Odyssey manager Clarence Tucker said the nightclub was one of the first on the Island to introduce airport-style metal detectors to check for knives and other weapons.

He added: "There have been problems over the entire holiday period and violence is an Island-wide disease now.

"It doesn't just affect our club, it affects everybody's club. We know there is a problem and now we have got to deal with it head on and that needs to happen in partnership.

"We would definitely participate if these plans were implemented and I would support almost any proposal that deals with a possible solution.

"But we also call on the politicians to look at the wider causes of violence and if a list of known offenders was to be compiled, we would call on all clubs to get involved.'' A Police spokesman said a task force was re-established several months ago to combat the rising tide of violence in clubs.

He added: "We have had a lot of meetings with nightclubs, particularly Odyssey, over the last year or so.

"This weekend, they called us to help them close down because of some trouble at the end of the night.

"We are appealing to the public to use common sense and enjoy themselves without causing trouble.

"We also need them to report incidents immediately to Police or nightclub officials.

"The meetings are ongoing but we would always be available to talk with nightclubs and we have a crime prevention department which can also help.'' Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness welcomed plans for a new crimebusting partnership between Police and clubs.

He said: "It's the kind of community activity and cooperation that we really require to deal with this sort of phenomenon.

"I'm extremely pleased to hear that the Chamber of Commerce and the nightclub owners have opened the doors of communication and are thinking of cooperating in this way.

"I'm sure that the Police will be very pleased about the whole idea.''