Surveillance cameras, beefed-up Police presence during matches and the need for increased criminal punishment dominated last night's emergency meeting held at Young Men's Social Club between Bermuda Football Association (BFA) officials and their affiliates.

Speaking in the wake of Tuesday night's incident at Devonshire Recreation Club when several youths brandishing weapons charged across the pitch, temporarily halting the match between Devonshire Cougars and Devonshire Colts, BFA president Larry Mussenden revealed after last night's meeting that several newly-proposed plans were now seriously being considered to help curb the violence.

Mussenden met earlier yesterday with Labour and Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister, permanent secretary Robert Horton and acting Minister for Youth and Sport, Neletha Butterfield, to discuss the association's concerns.

"We discussed a number of issues, particularly the issue which has been featured on TV involving persons with baseball bats and machetes interrupting our games," said Mussenden.

"And we decided on a number of things. One thing that all of us deplore is any violence and any weapons coming into our football grounds and taking place at our football grounds. And we appeal to the people responsible for these things not to do it lest they suffer the consequences."

Mussenden said that both ministers were supportive of the concept of using CCT cameras at grounds and that he would be meeting with them again next week to discuss the matter further.

"We are looking forward to meeting with the ministries again so that we will be able to look into the feasibility (of cameras) to ensure that persons coming out to our games remain in a safe environment," added the BFA president.

He also welcomed extra Police presence during matches which he said would ensure that people would conduct themselves in a lawful manner. And he attempted to reassure fans that they could still come out and enjoy the sport.

"We invited the ministries to discuss ways of bringing forward legislation to combat people who come into our games with weapons or who conduct violence at our grounds and we drew the parallel between that and the misuse of drugs act which has provisions in it for increased penalty zones," added Mussenden.

". . . If you are doing these things at sporting grounds then in addition to any fine or period of imprisonment that you would generally receive, then an increased penalty would be levied on you also.

"A person who may have a machete on the street, the normal sentence is three months - but then if he was using a machete at a sporting ground the court would be mandated to give them an extra year in prison. It's on the same lines as the current misuse of drugs act and the increased penalty zones and we've invited the ministries to give some live consideration to that issue and to bring that legislation forward as soon as possible."

Though last night's meeting was poorly attended, Mussenden said that the views expressed by those who were present were representative of the entire body and that it was by no means an indication that there was little support for the measures proposed.