Bermuda has more Police officers than it has ever had, but some are not pulling their weight, Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister admitted last night.

"There is no thin blue line - there are more police officers than we have ever had," Mr. Lister told the House of Assembly. But, while the vast majority were serving the country well, he added, some were just not pulling their weight.

The Minister said he was working hard to address the Island's policing problem.

He was speaking during the motion to adjourn after his shadow counterpart Patricia Gordon-Pamplin spoke of community concern at poor response times when the police are called.

"It seems to us on this side that the only person who does not think there is a shortage of officers is the Minister," she said. "If the numbers are going the right way, the perception is not and we have to do what is required."

She agreed with recent calls to utilise the Bermuda Regiment in certain cases. "When one calls for assistance we have an obligation to be able to respond in an efficient manner."

Ms Gordon-Pamplin told of how one family became concerned because a relative who had been arrested and had to go to the hospital was told there was no one to take him there.

Police procedure is to provide a guard at the hospital for people in their custody.

She also told the House of what could have been a dangerous situation after discovering that someone had been sleeping in her vacant apartment without permission.

She said she called the Police and shortly after a female police officer arrived, called for backup which did not show up.

Ms Gordon Pamplin said a man was discovered hiding in a closet in the apartment but luckily for them both was not a threat. And she praised the officer's handling of the situation.

Mr. Lister said that the officer had done the service proud. He criticised Ms Gordon Pamplin for taking political pot shots and said that he was aware that some officers slacked off on the job.

"Are we short? No. Are we being told we're short? Yes."

The Minister said told of a nuisance who had been making seniors at the Heydon Trust nervous by tapping on their windows at three in the morning.

"This little old lady called the Police station and the officer told her to call her MP," he said. "Unless every single officer up and down the line does their job, we are not being policed well... I am at a point where I am not going to come here and tell you all is well. But the vast majority of officers give 100 percent."

He added that he would do his level best to address the situation and said that measures to reduce crime fights and disturbances in certain areas had resulted in moving it to other areas.

"Fights and disturbances inside the club are being moved outside the clubs," he said. "What happens is displacement, not elimination. We'd love to be able to eliminate but it's displacement."

He continued: "I can commit on behalf of the Government... that we'll do our very very best to attack these problems. But displacement is our enemy and we know that. We also know that not all our officers are working to the best of their ability."