Arming women with pepper and mace spray to fend off attackers could be counter productive, according to the Physical Abuse Centre.

Opposition Women's Affairs spokeswoman Kim Young said on Monday it was time Government considered changing the law which banned such sprays in Bermuda.

She said: “I believe we should be able to protect ourselves in this way.”

But Physical Abuse Centre board member Rosana Vickers said: “You need to think about what could happen if the attacker takes it from you and uses it on you.

“I talked with the former Police Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay and that was one of the drawbacks.

“If the attacker overpowers you and they are already angry and are bent on harming you and you do something like this and miss - they could be infuriated and want to do more harm.”

She said dye sprays could have a similar effect of riling the attacker. She said the Centre sold alarms for $15 which would scare off attackers.

She said: “They are very noisy.”

And Police spokesman Dwayne Caines pointed out that although there had been a recent rise in domestic violence, it did not mean more women were being targeted at random.

Police responded to six domestic incidents on Monday alone, he said, and nine over the weekend while there were 19 incidents in the first weekend of the month. In two recent incidents it was alleged women had stabbed men.

He said: “We have seen a rise in domestic violence and the seriousness of the attacks.”

And he said pepper spray and tear gas, which are illegal in Bermuda, were not the answer to the increase in domestic violence on the Island.

“The problem with violence against women is a problem that goes deeper than Police responsibility,” Mr. Caines said.

“The problem is deeply rooted in the choices that individuals make - choices about who they date and bring into their lives and how these choices affect everyone around them.”

Mr. Caines said partnerships between local churches, Police, the community and women's organisations must be strengthened in order to combat domestic violence.

“We need to help women make better choices in their lives,” he said. “The Police cannot take the role of parent, father and boyfriend.

“It is up to individuals to make sound choices in their lives.

“However, if Police are called to do the job, we will do so.”

He added: “Pepper spray and tear gas are not answers. The best defence against domestic violence is smart choices.”

He said Bermuda had laws against intruding against the privacy of a female which made it an offence to alarm, insult, make offensive gestures or commit and indecent act near a female.

And he said anti-stalking laws were in place with a maximum jail sentence of three years and $5,000.

Childwatch president Eddie Fisher also said pepper and mace sprays would not help but said young people needed discipline in their lives which came from having fathers in their lives to teach them right and wrong.

He said: “We don't need weapons, we need fathers to teach discipline and respect.”

The Physical Abuse Centre is offering courses teaching persistent abusers to mend their ways.

Board member Rosana Vickers, said the 26-week course, which is set to finish within the next month or so, had around ten men but others had expressed interest in joining the course and a new course was set to begin soon. Call 292-4366 for details.