By Raymond Hainey A report on crime in Bermuda prepared by the Progressive Labour Party has been welcomed by Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness.

And he said he was pleased that the Opposition appeared to be backing so many Government crime-busting initiatives.

Mr. Edness said: "The PLP has been criticised in the past for giving comfort to criminals of a certain kind -- I suppose this is an effort to show that is not so.'' He added that he had scanned the report, launched last week, although he had not studied it in detail.

Mr. Edness said: "From what I have seen so far, it doesn't seem controversial in that it doesn't disagree with what the Government is doing, but I will have to read it a little bit further.

"I didn't see anything new but I was pleased to see things which endorsed and supported what the Government is doing.'' Mr. Edness said Government agreed with the PLP that crime could only be tackled if the community got involved.

He added: "That's something we have been saying for a long time -- it's now a question of finding further ways in which the community can help to fight crime.

"The public have been helpful in recent times in providing information and helping to catch perpetrators and I think we need to have more of that.

"It would make the Police service far more effective, not only in catching criminals, but preventing crime.'' And Mr. Edness said: "I'm certainly glad the PLP are as interested as we are in doing something about reducing crime. I've always said crime is a bipartisan matter and something we should approach together.

"If this is going to help us to work closer together to beat crime, then we welcome the report.'' The PLP report on crime -- two years in the making -- was launched last week by crime review committee chairman Nelda Simons, acting Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith and Home Affairs spokesman Alex Scott.

The survey used Police crime statistics from 1984-94 and community consultation to come up with a series of recommendations.

Among the report's recommendations were a call on the community to lead the fight against crime, leading the young by example by refusing to accept dirty money or stolen goods.

Also touted were parish-based support groups for families affected by drug abuse, a programme to prevent youth violence and more alternatives to jail, like bail hostels and part-time prison sentences.

The PLP also called for an action plan to reverse the decline in drugs arrests, despite drugs being blamed for much of the crime on the Island.

And the committee wanted a probe into crime detection and conviction rates, which have also slumped.

POLITICS PTL