The Corporation of Hamilton is to hire six City Rangers to fight crime and anti-social behaviour.

The move was announced at a Board meeting into the City's 2010 Budget yesterday.

Announcing $700,000 towards the initiative, City mayor Charles Gosling said: "Operational projects will include the proposed City Rangers Programme, giving the Police Service added support with six Rangers, with similar Police powers, who will again be working hard on behalf of our residential and commercial community providing additional security."

He said: "This force will be an additional asset to the Corporation as well as to the Bermuda Police Service, as additional feet on the street."

The Corporation originally launched the City Rangers scheme several years ago but it was dropped due to their lack of enforcement powers, as they had no powers of arrest. The Rangers would act as a support unit to the Police, dealing with more minor matters such as graffiti, illegal dumping of garbage, problems with homelessness, and anti-social behaviour.

Deputy mayor Glenn Smith told The Royal Gazette the Corporation hoped to attract retired Police officers to the role, and that it would seek powers of arrest by way of a special order from the Police Commissioner. "We are going to meet with (Public Safety) Minister David Burch and then present it to the Commissioner for approval," he said. "The Commissioner will outline what powers they have and swear them in."

Describing the Rangers as like Community Wardens in the UK, he said: "We will be working in conjunction with the Bermuda Police Service. They will increase the Police presence in the community. They will be situated from North Hamilton to our parks, to the bus depot, to the waterfront. They will also be around where we have vagrants and will ask them to move on."