A state-of-the-art spy camera system could be rolled out in trouble-hit parts of Devonshire in a bid to stamp out anti-social behaviour.

The brains behind the pioneering move, Bermudian security expert Kevin Smith, says the aim is to haul neighbourhood safety into the 21st Century.

Under his proposal ? and if given the green-light by residents ? hi-tech CCTV equipment between $15,000 and $30,000 will be installed in Devonshire crime hotspots.

Mr. Smith, of Granite Enforcement Team Security, claimed the move was backed by Government and said the idea had been welcomed by Police Commissioner George Jackson. It was warmly welcomed by Devonshire residents when discussed at a PLP constituency meeting earlier this week.

Installation of the equipment for the pilot, which could cost as much as $30,000 if it proves popular with that community, would not cost residents or Government a cent, the meeting heard.

Mr. Smith ? whose successful security business, set up three years ago with his wife Terry Ann, has secured key Caribbean contracts ? has agreed to fund the debut project in Devonshire parish out of his own pocket. He says he wants to give something back to Bermuda.

Outlining his plans to the security expert said consultation was now ongoing with residents so he had no firm figures on how many cameras would be needed, or where they would be sited.

But the 35-year-old said the 30 residents who attended the PLP meeting, who spoke of their despair at anti-social behaviour and drug taking in neighbourhoods like Cedar Park, Prospect and Deepdale, had been positive and were now ?fighting? over who got it first.

The Pembroke resident said the cameras, which will have a DSL line connected to them allowing computer access, would not be eyesores. A protective dome could be placed around them so vandals could not damage them by hurling rocks.

He said images up to six months old would be stored and could be retrieved using the system ? something that could prove vital in helping witnesses and Police identify suspects in cases.

Mr. Smith said: ?I?m hoping this will identify problem people in areas and give residents more of a sense of security, knowing that the cameras are there.?

He also said the fact that people can report incidents without actually physically being present at events, would make them more likely to report crimes and less fearful of reprisals. ?Nobody needs to know who calls the Police,? he added.

?This takes Neighbourhood Watch to another level and into the 21st Century.?

If rolled out, the pilot project could raise privacy issues in some quarters. But Mr. Smith denied this was a problem because the cameras would operate with the consent of residents and would focus on public roads, not private houses. He stressed conversations would not be recorded.

He said he had spoken to Police chief George Jackson about the idea and he was ?very much in favour of it?.

Mr. Jackson was off the Island yesterday. Attempts to get a comment from the Bermuda Police Service about the proposal were unsuccessful.

Mr. Smith said the idea may be new to Bermuda, but was common in wealthy ?gated? communities in the US and Canada.

Some rich Tuckers Town residents also use the system, as do some schools, and companies in Hamilton, but this is the first time the concept has been mooted for community use in a residential area. ?We?re making people feel safe. Not everyone can be a Michael Bloomberg.?

He accepted that installation of the cameras might just move criminal activity to other parts of the Island, but said it would take it away from neighbourhoods that already have many social issues to deal with.

And he said that he had agreed to fund the pilot scheme because he wanted to give something back to his Island home.

Mr. Smith, who accepted that interest in the scheme could mushroom in Bermuda, has secured contracts to set up the exact same CCTV system at the house of the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, and it is due to go in other Government buildings in that country next week.

?I feel I do a lot of work outside my country, but this is home for me. I want to help neighbourhoods with problems. I?m trying to provide a solution.

?If this works, and it helps people identify troublemakers, I feel I?m not just doing my job, but I?m doing a justice to my country.?

The project came to light after PLP backbencher Glenn Blakeney asked the security expert for his thoughts on tackling community crime.

Mr. Smith said he was in the process of setting up a round-the-clock monitoring station that residents hooked up to the camera system would be able to contact.

He denied the move was stepping on the toes of Police, and said it would help support their crime-fighting work.

He added: ?As a country we all need to take responsibility for what?s happening around us if we are serious about what?s going on.

?All I?m doing is providing a safer way to phone in complaints and problems so people don?t have to confront troublemakers.?

Speaking at the PLP meeting, attended by Public Safety Minister Derrick Burgess and Premier Alex Scott, Mr Blakeney stressed the private/public project was not mandatory.

A Cedar Park resident told the meeting her community needed the new cameras because of anti-social behaviour. ?It?s getting to the point where I can?t even sleep,? she said.