Public Safety Minister Derrick Burgess last night told concerned residents living in neighbourhoods blighted by anti-social behaviour that their help was needed to combat the problem.

Mr. Burgess, speaking at a PLP constituency meeting in Devonshire, heard a series of people complain about vandalism, drug-taking and violence in the Cedar Park and Prospect areas.

Earlier, the Minister said that some neighbourhoods were ?under siege from menaces to society?. He added: ?Their role is to destroy our quality of life and fabric of our community.?

He said he did not need to tell residents about problems that needed tackling, as they had seen the headlines, but he appealed to the meeting to help the Police.

?We can?t do this alone,? added Minister Burgess, who later stated that it ?takes a whole neighbourhood to eliminate crime?.

He continued: ?We must take over our neighbourhoods. The Police are there to assist and help, but they can?t be there 24 hours a day. They just can?t be.

?You are the best Police that any country can ever have.?

Mr. Burgess said that CCTV had cut crime in areas of Hamilton where it had been introduced.

And he said that while he appreciated the work of overseas recruits in the service, he urged Bermudians to encourage their children to join the ranks. The Minister said there was a particular problem recruiting male Bermudians, and said only three of six new recruits at a recent passing out ceremony were men.

Recruiting foreign officers had become more difficult, he also said. ?We can?t get them as easily as we used to.?

When questions were taken from the floor, one woman said that anti-social behaviour in the Cedar Park area ? scene of a recent fatal stabbing ? had caused her sleepless nights. ?People are arguing and the other night there was a fight,? she said. ?We definitely need help.?

Another speaker raised concerns about problems in the Mary Victoria Road and Alexandra Road area, and invited the Minister to tour the neighbourhood. Youngsters were hanging around and some Bermuda Housing Corporation tenants were also causing difficulties, she said.

The Labour Minister also revealed a new initiative to draw up a list of Bermudian university graduates. This will be sent to the Island?s major employers in a bid to improve the chances of more home-grown talent securing jobs with leading firms.

He said he hoped to have the list of 2007 graduates completed by the end of January, to be sent to companies by mid February.

?I expect them to be hired,? he told the meeting. ?Do not tell me that they do not have the experience. They are just coming out of school. But they should be trained up.?

He said, that with 10,000 work permit holders on the Island, it should not take some graduates up to nine months to find suitable work.

Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Robert Horton, who also attended last night?s meeting at Prospect Primary School, said the list initiative had been discussed with Bermuda-based international businesses who had welcomed the suggestion.

Earlier, Premier Alex Scott spoke briefly at the meeting.

On the eve of Friday?s crucial delegates? vote, he said that ?stability? and ?teamwork? had been themes of his three years leading the party and Bermuda. He said he hoped the delegates would let that work continue.

Mr. Scott did not comment specifically on rival Ewart Brown?s platform, revealed on Friday, but stated: ?If you hear others within or without our party saying they have other thoughts or initiatives, remember it took three years for us to bring the country to the point where we are able to now provide a cohesive programme, one supported by private and public sectors, one that?s seen our country go from strength to strength.?

The Premier added: ?Running a ministry and running the country are two different things. I should know. I?ve done them both.?

Mr. Scott also said that there would be initiatives in the upcoming Throne Speech on empowerment, although he did not give further details.

Last night?s meeting was attended by Finance Minister Paula Cox, MP for Devonshire North West, and backbencher Glenn Blakeney, MP for Devonshire Central.

Police Commissioner George Jackson, who had been listed as a guest speaker, was not able to attend.