A small yet spirited crowd turned out last night in St. George?s to grill those charged with tackling crime in Bermuda.

Opening the community forum at St. George?s Cricket Club, Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton said the issue of crime, particularly the well-documented rise in violent crime over the last two years ?is on the minds of every single Bermudian citizen? while stressing that helping the next generation of young people to appreciate ?the difference between right and wrong? was one of Government?s top priorities.

?There is no quick fix to these deeply embedded problems ? they are a reflection of what has happened in the past,? he said.

?But through the Child Development Project and the Young Offenders Programme we are taking steps to address the problem and to catch the next generation from making the same mistakes as more recent ones. Where the problem has been is that there is a large number of young people in Bermuda who cannot recognise the difference between right and wrong. But it is not their fault, folks. It is our fault for not nurturing them properly and giving them guidance. This of course goes right back to our schools system and we as a Government will be paying even greater attention to educating our young people ? helping them to be successful and boosting their self-esteem.?

The vast majority of crime in Bermuda is connected in some way to drugs, Mr. Horton continued, pointing out that 80 percent of those imprisoned at Westgate are there for a drugs related offence.

?The costs of drugs and drug-related crime to the community are incredible,? he said.

?This in particular manifests itself in violence between rival trafficking factions or gangs which is part and parcel of the rise in violent crime over the last few years. This is something we as a Government cannot deny. It is there in black and white. But as you will have seen in the Press, despite the challenges we face we are taking steps to deal with these issues.?

Speaking next, Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said he had been ?very happy? with the response of Government to his lobbying for extra-funding and more staff, stating that he could claim to be one of few Commissioners who has been the recipient of consecutive budget increases over the past five years.

The formation of the 22-man Police Support Unit (PSU) had also armed the Service with a effective resource which is targeting the Island?s problem areas and making widespread arrests, he added.

Attorney General Larry Mussenden said that the challenge he faced was balancing the obvious need to toughen laws in certain areas while ensuring the criminal justice system worked ?in the fairest possible way? for both the accused and the accuser.

Pointing to upcoming legislation such as the PACE and Bail Bills, as well as increased penalties for weapons or blades and a host of stiffer sanctions for drug offences ? including the imposition of consecutive sentences if a drugs offence is accompanied by one of violence ? Sen. Mussenden said his Chambers was doing all it could to modernise the justice system while also coming down hard on the criminal elements which harm Bermudian society the most.

?What we?ve tried to do in this presentation is provide an accurate reflection of the problems we face and what we are trying to do about them,? he said.

?We want to put the truth out there. We have no intention of sugar-coating the issue.?