The public want to see more Police officers on the beat but do not believe that more armed officers is the answer to defeating gun crime, according to an independent survey by The Royal Gazette.

The poll, which was commissioned by this newspaper, reveals crime is the biggest concern people have 66 percent of respondents cite it as the top issue facing Bermuda today.

Crime dwarfs economy and unemployment as a concern. In a time of recession, just 17 percent of Bermudians believe the combined issues are the main challenge.

Education is also low on people's priorities, with just five percent of those polled choosing it as the major issue.

The survey also revealed residents do not like seeing armed officers on Bermuda's streets.

Asked for their opinions on initiatives to reduce gun crime, the top three measures people wanted to see were: An increased Police presence; improved X-ray equipment at Hamilton docks; and the introduction of Police SWAT teams.

Almost a third of the population wants to see more officers on the streets, with 32 percent of those polled saying a heightened Police presence was necessary.

Up to 22 percent more than a fifth opted for better X-ray equipment at the docks to thwart firearms imports, and 14 percent were in favour of SWAT teams.

More women than men wanted to see SWAT, with 18 percent citing it as a means of reducing gun crime, compared to eight percent of men.

Meanwhile, men were more in favour of more officers on the streets, with 38 percent wanting to see a greater Police presence, compared to 28 percent of women.

Greater CCTV coverage was a priority for 12 percent of people. Just four percent opted for a curfew for under-18s.

Strongest support for the idea came from the 18-24 age group, with 11 percent saying it would reduce gun crime.

The introduction of armed officers was not a popular measure. Just four percent of those polled cited it as a means of fighting the violence.

Public Safety Minister David Burch was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Shadow Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley said: "These overall findings are not surprising in any way.

"We have long called for an increased Police presence, not just when trouble has occurred but consistently and Island-wide."

Commenting on the lack of support for armed officers as a means of reducing gun violence, the UBP Senator said: "We understand the hesitation of Bermudians about seeing armed officers on patrol, but this unfortunately goes with the crime challenge today <\!m> it is changing and demeaning the nature and spirit of our society.

"It is clear from our talks with the Police that they need more officers to be trained to carry weapons. If we want to Police to do the job we must support them.

"The key objective in this question of arming Police is to strike the right balance between the need for safety and society's particular sensitivities.

"We don't need to turn Bermuda into an armed camp, but we do need to protect officers and citizens as the situation unfolds."

Opposition Leader Kim Swan added: "The good men and women of the Bermuda Police Service are also family members fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters. It is unfair and grossly inappropriate to send them into harm's way without adequate protection."

Bermuda Democratic Alliance (BDA) MP Mark Pettingill said: "The public may want one thing but they must listen to what the authorities are saying, as they are in the best position to advise.

"The public should be focused on fighting crime by coming forward to assist the Police with witness statements."

City Mayor Charles Gosling said the X-ray machine <\!m> a joint project between Government and the Corporation of Hamilton <\!m> would be in place by the end of the year.

"We will be clearing the site, re-enforcing and building a base pad for the X-Ray Machinery and Operations Building, getting utilities to the various locations and new safety lighting, and providing a new entrance and exit for all container traffic," he said.

"Like the public, we view this to be of primary importance and one we could not allow to wait until the resolution of the conflict between Government and the city.

"We owe it to our community to assist the Ministry (of Finance) in completing this work in an efficient manner."

Irvin Hendrickson of the North East Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch group said: "Most people have expressed the view that they'd like to see more of a Police presence, but when they see it many people then complain, saying 'why are they here?' But what are they supposed to do?

"It's not that pleasant to see armed officers. I wish there was a way they were armed without being able to see the guns, but maybe they feel that's the way to show some kind of force."

He said: "We hope people will come forth and say, 'enough is enough'. We want our neighbourhoods back the way they used to be."

The telephone survey by Mindmaps polled 400 registered voters between April 13 and 18, and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.