By Raymond Hainey Action to drive out druggies from a parking lot was yesterday demanded by a furious area resident.

And the man called for a crackdown on drug abuse and dealing in the parking lot, between Hamilton's Court Street and Union Street.

Last night Police responded with a pledge to crack down on street drug dealing following the end of the summer cruise ship season -- a known route for drugs into the Island -- using both drugs squad officers and special Task Force units.

The man -- who asked not to be named -- said the area, known as the playground, had become a major haunt for drugs and called on Police and lot owners, the Bermuda Industrial Union, to act to curb the problem.

The resident said: "It's right out in the open. It's the closest thing we have to Needle Park in Harlem. It's a total drugs area. We've lived round here for some time and it's always gone on to some extent.

"But it's got much worse. It's non-stop drug use and sale, 24/7.'' The resident said the area -- also used by pedestrians, including children -- was littered with; Discarded crack cocaine pipes; Used condoms; Empty beer bottles and; A derelict car used by the homeless.

Court Street resident decries `needle park' The man added that Police did patrol the area, but both ends of the site are open, so people left at the other end as soon as a Police car appeared.

And he said spy-in-the-sky cameras -- as used in central Hamilton -- should be introduced, or one end of the parking lot blocked off so drug users and sellers had nowhere to run.

The man added: "Even if they closed off one end -- if it was a trap in there, people wouldn't just sit off and sell drugs.

"They might still be in there, but it would be a bit less inviting. There's just more and more of it -- sometimes you even see drug dealers fighting over customers.

"And there's a younger crew with a whole different attitude. They used to have lookouts, but they don't even bother with that. Young children use the area and they have to walk through a park full of drug addicts.'' The man said he had contacted both the BIU and Police to complain, but he received satisfaction from neither.

He added: "In a sense, it's private property. If somebody was doing it in your backyard, you'd be obliged to do something about it.

"The union is being a very poor neighbour to everybody around here.'' The man said: "The Police come around once in a blue moon and walk through, but without much conviction.

"And when a Police car drives in the top, the drug users just go out the other end.'' The man pointed out: "The madness which is going on around here is hurting everybody's business.

"When you find people fighting and using drugs, you don't want to be a part of that.

"And I feel -- with an area as well known as this -- the Police definitely need a bigger presence. People need to make it appear they're concerned about this area.

"I've lived around this area a good part of my life and the Police presence has steadily dropped. When you call them, they say they don't have the manpower.'' BIU president Derrick Burgess said he was aware of complaints about the parking lot and that the union had passed them on to Police.

Mr. Burgess added that it was not appropriate for union officials to try and clean up drugs areas -- and that it could cause more problems than it would solve if they tried.

He said: "We're just the owners of the property. We've reported this to the Police.

"I can't be a Policeman and I'm not going to try and remove these people from there -- that's what the Police are for.

"It's our property. There is drugs going on in there and we've done what we're supposed to do.'' And he hit out at suggestions that lack of action on the problem by the union was tantamount to condoning drug abuse.

Mr. Burgess said: "Anyone with common sense would see we don't condone this kind of nonsense, but dealing with drugs is not a job for the union.'' A Police spokesman said last night: "With the end of the cruise ship season, the narcotics division can now be focused primarily on street enforcement.'' Drug den: The Union Street/Court Street parking lot in Hamilton, said by local residents to be a favourite haunt of drug abusers and dealers.