A massive Police drugs-busting operation may have fuelled a crime wave, a top academic has claimed.

And the US professor said the effects of the Bermuda force's Operation Cleansweep could be minimal in the long-term.

Dr. Jeffrey Fagan, Professor of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City and an expert in the field of drugs in the community, was speaking after a series of armed robberies over the last few weeks.

There have been a total of five armed robberies -- of three stores, a gas station and a bank -- since July 1.

Dr. Fagan said drug dealers scared off by Cleansweep may be resorting to hold-ups to maintain their lifestyles.

And he added that users may be forced into committing crimes to afford higher prices caused by a scarcity of drugs following the crackdown.

Dr. Fagan said: "There are a number of possible explanations -- one is simply that if the Police disrupt the drug markets then the people who were selling drugs who are now out of business will turn to other ways of making money and robbery is probably one of the things they are very good at.

"If the market has been disrupted and people aren't buying drugs any more, it makes sense that dealers would turn to other forms of crime to make money.

"And when you create scarcity, prices increase so there is a greater need for money to buy drugs. It's simply a supply and demand problem.'' Dr. Fagan -- recommended as an expert by Professor David Smith, a criminology lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, who holds Bermudian status -- added that the demand for drugs "comes and goes of its own accord''.

And he questioned the value of highly-publicised drives against drug dealing like Operation Cleansweep, which targeted several drug-dealing areas and alleged drug dealers across the Island.

More than 20 people were arrested in June and charged in connection with the sting operation -- a first for Bermuda -- in which undercover officers from the US Drug Enforcement Agency used hidden cameras to tape alleged drugs transactions.

But Dr. Fagan said: "There is very little data to suggest these operations have effects which are long-standing or broad in their coverage.

"It's really not subject to these kinds of street tactics.

"It looks good in the short term -- but it's probably just moved the market to other locations. I'm sure these problems will be moved to other parts of Bermuda.'' He added: "Politically, it's wonderful. The Police look like they have gotten tough on drugs and the politicians look like they have gotten tough on drugs.

"But these things do nothing to reduce demand -- they just make it a little more difficult for drug buyers to find drugs. But they will find them.'' Cleansweep may have caused crime wave Dr. Fagan was backed by Edinburgh's Dr. Smith, who said: "It is well-established that a fair amount of petty crime is due to people stealing to feed their drugs habit.

"If you have an effective crackdown on drugs, you might expect that to happen.'' The Royal Gazette gave a Police spokeswoman the opportunity to comment on the academics' statements.

But the spokeswoman appeared to suggest that The Royal Gazette could be fabricating evidence to discredit Cleansweep.

She questioned the bona fides of Dr. Fagan -- who has an international reputation -- and refused to comment on his statements to the The Royal Gazette , describing the quotes from him repeated over the phone as "hearsay''.

And she demanded that the reporter fax her the full text of his interview with Dr. Fagan before making any comment.

But Shadow Labour and Home Affairs Minister Alex Scott said: "There is a lot of sense in what these two academics are saying.'' He added that -- although some areas formerly used by drug dealers and users were now quiet -- it was believed that a drugs home delivery service was now operating and that others had just moved operations to other parts of the Island.

And he added that unless operations like Cleansweep were backed up by a strong Police presence on the streets and community vigilance, increased criminal activity could be expected.

Mr. Scott said: "You might then begin to establish more long-term benefits from that short term operation.''