are being recruited by evil drug barons into a life of crime.

And the Progressive Labour Party's Alex Scott believes Government is to blame because it has failed to provide alternative job opportunities for Bermuda's young.

In a second assault on Deputy Premier Jerome Dill's comments on unemployement made in The Royal Gazette on Saturday, the Warwick East MP pledged that a PLP Government will "set in place policies to break the youth connection between crime, the lack of real opportunity for upward mobility in many areas of the job market and the actual quality of education and training that these young people receive''.

Mr. Scott went on to say: "The PLP remains convinced that the hardcore element that currently operates in the Island and who directly and indirectly sponsor drugs and crime are effectively recruiting the unemployed and youth into crime.

"Without reservation and without pre-condition, a PLP Government will unequivocally launch a real war on drugs, crime and violence and unemployment must be added to these.

"To this end a PLP Government will set out to accomplish the identification, prosecution, conviction, incarceration and rehabilitation of this hardcore criminal element.

Mr. Scott went on to say that the PLP will also undertake to develop a new method of measuring unemployment statistics, claiming the Government's were "intentionally misleading''.

He added: "We must create a recognised method for compiling and reporting the rate of unemployment in Bermuda -- on a regular basis.

"The Government's inrealistic figure of 1.28 percent unemployment in Bermuda has lead to the UBP's inadequate training and retraining programmes for the many Bermudians who find themselves unemployed.'' But Mr. Dill attacked Mr. Scott for "getting personal'', saying: "There's no question of anybody misleading anybody else.

"I don't want to get involved in a discussion with Alex Scott on his level.

"I'm interested in elevating the discussion so that the people of Bermuda are the ones who benefit.'' The Deputy Premier insisted Government had always said the unemployment figures related only to those who registered with the employment office.

But he added: "We are concerned to find work for those individuals who are concerned enough about their predicament to register.

"What Alex Scott should do, if he's genuniely interested in the welfare of people who are unemployed, is encourage them to register.' DRUGS DGS ECONOMY ECO