officials no longer monitor cruise ships 24 hours a day, it has been claimed.

The Government came under fire at the Senate yesterday over the changes to customs, which will mean 15 temporary officers recruited for the summer season not being employed this year.

Opposition senator Maxwell Burgess accused Government of taking away front-line services, allowing criminals to commit more crime.

He said taking away the additional customs officers, which will save Government around $100,000 a year, would lead to more work for the Police, which, he claimed, was already over-stretched and over-worked at a time when crime was on the increase.

And he said it was a clear signal to drug traffickers that Bermuda was an easy target.

He said: "I don't know how much more this country is to suffer because of unscrupulous drug dealers. I don't know how many adults and children we have to lose.

"It's not fair on the customs and the Police to continue to have the budgets hacked away.'' He said the PLP needed to prioritise. Mr. Burgess said the Government's claim that Police were toughening up on traffic offences and issuing more tickets should not be the priority.

He added: "What will it matter if everyone in Bermuda has a traffic ticket at the end of the year if we have drug dealers running amok. Our communities are at risk because we are failing to fight on the front line.

"This is not about Government and Opposition. It's about a better Bermuda.'' But government senator David Burch accused Mr. Burgess of scaremongering and over-reacting.

He said: "I think it's disgraceful for a former minister to come to this place today and carry on the way he has.

"This Government draws no comfort from the fact that crime is going up.

"The proof must be in the pudding. We have had more significant drug seizures in the last 12 months than we have had in the last two years and to suggest otherwise, I would say, is stretching the truth, but it's worse than that.'' He said crime had risen, but the biggest increase was in c y cle thefts and vehicle crime and he said that several criminals were responsible for most of the offences.

He added: "This Government is unequivocally committed to law and order.'' Collector of Customs Bill Ledrew insisted to The Royal Gazette earlier this month that the changes would not make it easier for drug dealers to smuggle narcotics into the Island.

He said the decision was in response to the five percent spending cut ordered by Finanace Minister Eugene Cox, but that the policy change was a good idea.

Mr. Ledrew said that Customs and Police would make greater use of intelligence reports to target suspected dealers and he said Police and Customs would provide 24-hour coverage, but Customs would no longer staff the gangways of Cruise ships at all times.

He said: "Rather than have temporary officers with limited authority and training, we will use a combination of other mobile sources and teams to control what's happening.

"They will provide 24-hour control, although we won't see them there 24 hours a day, but there will be coverage and mobile controls in place. We work on the basis of risk based on information. We try to target our efforts so that when we decide to rummage a boat, we do it because we think it has drugs.''