Government should have spent more time addressing social problems instead of just concentrating on how to punish criminals, Progressive Labour Party Senator Walton Brown said yesterday.

The Senator bemoaned his party's failure to introduce laws to strengthen families in the last parliamentary session — saying the PLP should remember it traditionally focuses on the average man and woman.

He spoke out as the Upper House passed the Justice Protection Act, which allows vulnerable witnesses to be sent overseas to encourage them to help secure convictions.

It follows new laws abolishing the double jeopardy law for murder, making parents pay for their children's bad behaviour and increasing the time firearms suspects can be held in custody.

But Sen. Brown said more efforts should be directed to stopping crimes happening in the first place.

"I'm somewhat troubled by where we are on the issue of solving crime in our Country," Sen. Brown told the Senate.

"These measures are unfortunate necessities today. What's lacking though as we come to the end of this parliamentary session is we don't have any legislation to counterbalance the punitive side of justice.

"We need to be doing more to reduce crime coming about in the first place.

"I wanted us to spend some greater time and effort from a Government standpoint at looking at ways in which we can reduce crime.

"As a party that's focused on the average man and woman we should be careful of moving too much in one direction. This needs to be better balanced.

"I'm hoping that in the next parliamentary session we can have much more meaningful legislation brought forward."

After the sitting, Sen. Brown told The Royal Gazette he would like to see legislation looking at strengthening families and "providing wider opportunities for young people who don't fall neatly into the educational world".

But Sen. Brown joined the rest of the Senate in approving yesterday's bill, which Attorney General Kim Wilson described as "a comprehensive solution to offer protection to witnesses".

Sen. Wilson said the law aims to "enhance the prospects of a successful prosecution and, simultaneously, public confidence in the criminal justice system".

She told the Senate: "Reliable witnesses are crucial to the successful criminal prosecution of offenders.

"Such offenders or their associates have increasingly attempted to deter witnesses from testifying by using intimidation and the threat of violence against prospective witnesses and their family members.

"Fortunately, Bermuda has not reached the level of witness intimidation currently experienced in some overseas jurisdictions. However, the Government has been proactive."

The legislation lets witnesses stay in Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos during serious trials in which they would be afraid of repercussions. Other overseas territories could be added to that list in the future, Sen. Wilson revealed yesterday.

It also paves the way for them to be given new identities to start a new life overseas, but Sen. Wilson says in virtually all cases they would return to Bermuda when a conviction is secured.

United Bermuda Party Senate leader Michael Dunkley and Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes were both sceptical about how effective the legislation will be.

Sen. Dunkley said many people would not want to give up their lives in Bermuda, and Sen. Hughes said it would be better to urge witnesses to change their mentality.

"I don't have an awful of hope that it's going to engender a lot of people coming forward. I would rather encourage the community that it's the right thing to do to come forward," said Sen. Hughes.

UBP Senator Jeanne Atherden said if several people were prepared to give evidence, witnesses may feel safety in numbers.