Police Commissioner George Jackson said yesterday he would sanction regular armed patrols in future if he felt it was necessary to protect residents and visitors.

He was speaking after a press conference held to address a rise in gang violence on the Island. He had called for help from the public to tackle "the wave of lawlessness in our community" and pledged officers would be out in force this summer.

"All available resources will be utilised, including CCTV where appropriate and an armed presence when necessary," said the Police chief. Asked if this meant armed officers patrolling as a matter of course, he said presently they are only used in response to specific incidents. But he added: "If it gets to the stage where we have to have that on a more regular basis we'll do that as well to make sure of the safety of our visitors."

His comments came in the light of a number of violent crimes including a triple shooting on Court Street in April and what is believed to be the Island's first drive-by shooting at the Swizzle Inn on South Shore last month. In addition, Acting Assistant Commissioner Sinclair White revealed yesterday that 40 Police officers were deployed to Warwick parish after what he described as "a matter that we had to address very quickly" over the weekend. Six 'Molotov Cocktails' ? flammable bombs designed to be thrown through the air ? were recovered. Mr. White declined to give any information about the operation, although he reported that several arrests had been made. However, understands that a large number of Police carried out searches of people attending a party at Chaplin Bay on Saturday night. One partygoer told : "The rumour was someone was going to shoot up the place.

"They were searching everyone that came through. I've never seen anything like it before in Bermuda."

Another said: "There was a bomb threat called in and a threat that there would be violence between town and country (gangs) and they brought out the PSU in full force. There were officers everywhere."

Police have not stated whether any of these incidents were gang-related, despite widespread speculation in the community that this is the case. But Mr. Jackson told yesterday's press conference: "We are fully aware of the social environment in Bermuda. We have noticed a rise in violent confrontations between rival groups in our community, with individuals using various methods to settle their differences. The primary weapons used by these individuals varies from bladed articles, baseball bats and to a lesser extent we've noticed the use of firearms in several incidents. To prevent any further escalation of anti-social behaviour, the Bermuda Police Service has adopted a proactive, firm and visible stance. Officers will be out in force patrolling the island, particularly in areas where the potential for anti-social behaviour exists."

Mr. Jackson asked for the public's co-operation and patience, and called on parents to speak to their children about responsible behaviour. He also urged anyone with information that could help the Police to get in touch, indicating that a lack of co-operation from witnesses had hampered recent inquiries. He said that often when incidents occur, witnesses who at first say they will provide information later prove reluctant to do so.

"We know for a fact that recently another incident occurred where a young man almost lost his arm. All the efforts thus far to have him complain to us so that we can bring the perpetrator to justice have been fruitless," he said.

Asked specifically about the Court Street and Swizzle shooting investigations, he said: "That's the same pattern as this. People just don't wish to come forward and do the right thing. We're asking of everyone to do the right thing. If we want a society that's safe and secure we have to stand up and say this is wrong."

Mr. Jackson also moved to address remarks made by the Chamber of Commerce in yesterday's that the Police should bring in some 60 overseas recruits immediately amid concerns about staff shortages.

Mr. Jackson said the service was actually 40 officers down, and recruiting is currently underway in both the Caribbean and the UK. However, he said, the recruitment campaign was facing competition from both Canada and Australia, which are also keen to employ officers from abroad.

Meanwhile understands the Police are having trouble with some of their local officers after a large number failed their three-year end-of-probation exams.

One Police source said as many as ten of the 15 entrants blew the test.

When questioned about that Mr. Jackson said: "We don't discuss personal performance in public, but the Bermuda Police Service has very high standards. "Anyone not meeting those standards would be advised accordingly and we would put steps in place to ensure those standards can be met. "It's a regular process we adopt."