Police and community leaders last night called for every resident in the Sandys area to help them clean up their parish.

Ch. Insp. Roger Bryden joined forces with Police Consultative Committee chairman Mike Winfield in a plea to stop anti-social behaviour.

Both warned nothing would happen unless the public threw its weight behind a concerted effort to discourage those who perpetrated street crime, in particular drug-dealing.

Mr. Winfield said the problem would not stop until the community said "enough.'' He added: "We all share the same goal -- to address anti-community behaviour which is affecting us all. It's not going to happen until all of say `enough.' When a community does that it is an immensely powerful force which can cause all sorts of change.

"We are currently allowing a minority to dictate our fear and annoyance -- we have to take charge.'' Mr. Winfield said the purpose of the meeting was to find out what people were worried about and what their concerns were.

Already a meeting with business people in Sandys had highlighted a possible need for better street-lighting and even closed circuit television.

Mr. Winfield said: "We need to take these parishes back so it is safe, so open land is safe, so we are not fearful of walking in our own community.'' Meeting chairman Dr. George Shaw said the committee hoped that the end result would be the involvement of the community in a bid to solve its problems.

Ch. Insp. Bryden highlighted crime figures in Sandys, particularly crimes against property, which he said concerned people.

At present, there are two Parish Constables covering Sandys but Ch. Insp.

Bryden revealed that a current manpower survey would, he hoped, see a increase in staffing levels in the area.

"The number of officers we currently have is insufficient for the amount of work we have,'' he admitted.

Ch. Insp. Bryden was speaking at a meeting of the Sandys group of the Western Consultative Committee at the area's St. James Church Hall.

He added that a recent reintroduction of the Task Force group had helped with gangs which congregated in the White Hill and Naval Field areas.

But he said arrests had been made for drug offences and offensive weapons.

Ch. Insp. Bryden said: "There is no doubt we have got drug activity in most of these areas.'' Problems raised by the public at the meeting included youth gangs hanging around the streets into the early hours, and there were particular worries that schoolchildren were being attracted to these haunts.

Ch. Insp. Bryden said: "It's wrong for people to feel there is a huge crime wave sweeping through the Island. There are certain people who do these things and when we catch them the crime figures go down.'' There was also a call for any solutions to the problems to include the re-integration of offenders within the community and for more responsibility from parents for the actions of their children.

One member of the audience said there should be zero tolerance of drug-trafficking, while another added there should be increased activities for youngsters to keep them out trouble.