chief warned yesterday.

Assistant Commissioner Wayne Perinchief said dope pedlars were enticing girls with gifts.

And he also revealed drug-crazed prostitutes were calling on men at homes and businesses, demanding cash whether clients wanted sex or not.

Other daytime hookers, meanwhile, were parading openly in Court Street, Elliott Street, Victoria Street, Angle Street, and Princess Street.

His startling claims came as he laid bare the extent of the drug and crime problems facing Bermuda.

In a speech to Hamilton Rotarians he backed Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness's proposal for mandatory drug testing in the workplace.

He called for pressure to be put on the Bermuda Industrial Union, Bermuda Employers' Council, Chamber of Commerce and Bermuda Public Services Association to launch such an initiative.

Mr. Perinchief also urged: Sporting bodies to test athletes for drugs, and ban those guilty of using them; Motorists to be tested for drugs; and Cutting into the demand for drugs, and attacking the supply of them.

"The strategies of demand reduction and supply reduction should be the focus of every individual and organisation who is dedicated to the eradication of illegal drugs and the evils that it manifests,'' said Mr. Perinchief.

Mr. Perinchief told Rotarians at the weekly luncheon at Hamilton's Princess Hotel that Bermuda was in the throes of a crime wave.

"In a general sense it may be stated that drugs form the root cause of 90 percent of crime.'' Young people, especially males aged 18-25, appear to have become lawless and anti-social.

"The new prison Westgate or `San Quinton' as some would call it is rapidly fulfilling our most cynical predictions and will soon be full and overflowing.'' Mr. Perinchief believed Bermuda was experiencing an outbreak of psychopathic behaviour brought on by drugs.

"The drug user becomes psychotic and exhibits violent behaviour against anyone who antagonises him.

"This violent behaviour can then generalise within his contact group, his peers, his family and those nearest to him who either retaliate or succumb to his violent conduct.'' Mr. Perinchief said drug dealers were also vulnerable targets for "rip-offs'' by other criminals from Bermuda and overseas.

"Hence the need by the drug dealer to protect his drug operation by arming himself and his henchmen now with guns.'' Mr. Perinchief said the buying of drugs outside the Island also led to breaches of the Bermuda Monetary Control Act.

"The removal or erasing of exchange control regulations will make the identification of drug related currency destined for drug purchase more difficult.

"It therefore becomes a priority, since it is virtually impossible to control the purchase of drugs outside Bermuda, to enhance the chances of the interception of drugs' shipments into Bermuda.'' Mr. Perinchief went on to say prostitution was "thriving'' in Bermuda.

It was mainly carried out by drug addicted younger women providing sex to men, ranging from taxi drivers to businessmen and retirees, he said.

"The women mostly range in age from their late teens to late thirties.

"Most are drug addicted and operate alone or are watched over by a male, usually a small time drug pedlar or user.

"The venue is usually the client's vehicle or apartment or in some instances the surrounding parks or other areas near Victoria Street, Princess Street, Angle Street and the Court Street area.

Warning about prostitution "Some women are part-time and may be married, their clients are mostly steady and repeat customers and often keep the women on a modest retainer, sometimes for several years, whether they have sex or not.

"These women tend to be older women who would not be easily identifiable as prostitutes, and would be most indignant to be described as such.'' Mr. Perinchief said the most pernicious type of prostitute was the "itinerant''.

These were mainly drug addicted younger women visiting men in their own homes and businesses, demanding money whether they had sex or not.

"These women are desperate and will steal from their client, often at knife point or will either steal immediately after having sex with the male, when he is somnolent, or will return to the residence to break and enter and steal.

"These women are often quite attractive having only recently started using crack or cocaine.'' Mr. Perinchief said these women presented an AIDS danger to society.

"To date there is no hard evidence to suggest any established prostitution rings or that there are any high class prostitute rings servicing high paying clients.

"The activities of young schoolgirls have been rumoured. However, the only activity discovered to date has been isolated instances where young school age girls have accepted gifts from equally young drug dealers in return for sex.

"These matters have usually been referred to the Social Services Department who work in cooperation with the Police Community and Juvenile Department.'' Mr. Perinchief stressed Police, particularly CID, were patrolling known haunts for prostitutes.

"I am loathe to recommend a vice squad unless it were to be staffed by mostly mature female personnel, due to the dangerous potential for subversion and corruption of the morals of male Police officers.'' Police are investigating reports a supply of ammunition destined for Bermuda Regiment went missing during the summer, Mr. Perinchief revealed yesterday.