Armed Police will be on Cup Match red alert for the second year running, as officers pledged a ?no-nonsense? crackdown on troublemakers.

Assistant Commissioner Carlton Adams yesterday confirmed the force had received no intelligence to suggest gang violence would flare at the event.

And in the wake of recent shootings and the murder of a teenager gunned down in Ord Road, senior officers moved to allay fears that the two-day match starting in Somerset tomorrow could lead to flash-points.

But they warned they were ready to deal with any hooligans ? should the need arise.

Mr. Adams confirmed that an unknown number of armed officers would again be on high-profile patrol in and around Somerset Cricket Club.

At its peak the Police deployment for the event will be 90 officers, with regular patrols also boosted.

Metal detectors will be used to screen every spectator entering the ground, in a bid to stop hidden machetes or knives getting smuggled inside.

Supt. Michael DeSilva, detailing the armed response, said the aim was to give the community confidence Police were able to deal with threats and disruptions to public safety.

?We are intent on deterring those members of the public that might seek to disrupt the holiday with acts of violence and criminality,? he warned. ?We will visibly demonstrate that capacity over the holiday period.?

Thousands of fans are expected to descend on the West End for the sporting spectacular.

And senior officers assured fans that ? despite recent outbreaks of violence ? there was no need for them to worry about attending Cup Match, which boasts a trouble-free, family-friendly reputation. Asked whether specific threats had been received that would warrant an armed response, Mr. Adams replied: ?We are in possession of information that relates to behaviour that?s occurred in the past and so we will be prepared.

?We do not have any information that suggests at this time that there will be any outbreak of (violent) behaviour at Cup Match. But we will be prepared to deal with such.?

Supt. DeSilva, asked what the Police message was to people concerned about Cup Match safety, responded: ?The events of recent weeks certainly would make the community and the Police together take an approach that speaks to maintain public safety. But in no way would we suggest that people need to be frightened because we are just not at that point.?

Mr. Adams played down a suggestion the force was currently operating at a heightened level of alert. He compared this year?s Cup Match Policing to the similar response to last year?s game at St. George?s when armed officers were also on patrol.

But he accepted they would be ?taking precautions? in light of recent bloodshed ? and promised a ?no-nonsense? approach would be used to deal with troublemakers. ?We took an approach to this type of behaviour at last year?s Cup Match where we also had armed officers,? he told reporters. ?And we took measures to assist the security presence at Cup Match to extract bladed weapons from those that might attend. This is not a heightened approach this year. It?s the same as last year.?

Supt. DeSilva said Somerset Cricket Club was responsible for security inside the venue, and it would be responsible for security at the entry gates.

He said Police had received assurances that there would be ?100 per cent screening? using walk-through metal detectors posted at entrances.

?If you want to go in you have to be searched,? he told reporters, adding that more thorough body searches would be carried out by security guards using wand-like detectors depending on what initial scans revealed.

He said he also expected ?robust? bag searches to take place ? and revealed that officers would work alongside security guards to deal with problems that might arise.

Metal detectors were first introduced in 2004, in the wake of machete violence at Wellington Oval during the Friendship Trophy football final.

Spectators have been reminded about tough new bladed weapon jail terms, and warned not to carry unnecessary metal objects with them to Cup Match.

Police confirmed that patrols would increase between tomorrow and Sunday for the cricket as well as other events. Peak deployment will see 90 officers on duty with regular numbers boosted by two public order units as well as officers from traffic, marine, vehicle crime and narcotics units and Reserves.

Supt. DeSilva added: ?It is important to notify the public that armed officers will also be on duty during this period and they will visibly be on patrol in and around the cricket game.?

Extra armed officers would be on stand-by in the event of a firearm or machete attack taking place elsewhere. He added: ?We do not wish to unsettle the public by this announcement. Instead, we recognise that Bermuda residents have a fundamental right to enjoy the Island?s largest national holiday in an atmosphere of peace.?

He also said that officers now had the power to stop and search vehicles people when violence is suspected. This was used on Saturday night, said Supt. DeSilva, in the Horseshoe Bay area where a concert was taking place.

During last year?s Cup Match holiday, there were more than 224 incidents reported to Police. These included 44 false alarms, 40 marine incidents, 26 road crashes, 18 domestic violence reports, 14 burglaries and eleven assaults. There were also four arrests for drink driving ? and seven complaints about loud music.

Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert called on people to take time out during Cup Match holiday to think about how the country can become a safer place.

In a statement released yesterday, he said: ?Now more than ever before, we are facing a choice about our country and where we want it to go. ?I don?t think anyone would argue that certain current trends do not bode well for the future. How we reverse them, how we deal with them...will say a lot about who we are as people.?