action against drug dealers in their neighbourhood -- but were reminded that tackling crime was a community effort.

"This is the first time we've seen a Police car up here in three weeks,'' said one man at the public meeting at Pembroke Community Centre.

Residents told: Fighting crime is community effort "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there are drugs being sold here. Why don't you do something about it?'' The meeting, which was organised by Pembroke West United Bermuda Party MPs Erwin Adderley and Gary Pitman, was well attended and, at times, heated.

It gave members of the public a chance to speak out on the drugs problem in and around the Spanish Point area and ask questions of Police Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay and Collector of Customs Bill Ledrew.

Heated exchanges flared up between the Police representatives and frustrated residents who felt their calls for help from the authorities were being ignored.

But Mr. Lemay, head of Police's Narcotics Division, Chief Insp. Larry Smith, and head of the Central Division, Chief Insp. Steven Shaw, assured the public that action was being taken.

"It's not always effective to just go as soon as we get the call and arrest people. The problem doesn't always get dealt with like that,'' Mr. Lemay said.

"There's a lot of investigation that has to be done in order to make sure that the job is done right.'' He also insisted that solving Bermuda's drugs problem was not something the Police were able to do alone.

"It has to be a community effort. We can't be everywhere and do everything.

We need you to help us in this,'' he said.

His view was supported by one woman, who asked: "Is the community serious about solving the drugs problem?'' She said she felt the only way of tackling the issue was "from the bottom up'' with programmes in schools such as Outward Bound or Resistance, Education and Community Help (REACH).

But Joan Lindo, who resides in the Admiralty House area, said: "We have busted our butts and, at times, put our lives in danger to fight the drugs problem in this neighbourhood.

"Living here has been 26 years of hell but I've stuck with it,'' she added.

Another man said: "The Police obviously aren't serious about solving the drugs problem in Bermuda and it's us, the people, that are suffering for it.'' He said the only way to really solve it was to stop the flow of narcotics into the Country with stricter searches on cruise ships and at the airport.

And he suggested that anyone caught selling drugs should be given non-negotiable 20 year prison sentences without visitation rights.

In response, Mr. Lemay said: "That's just not practical because not everyone caught for drugs is the type of individual that needs to be behind bars. There have to be alternative sentences and treatment.'' It was decided that one sure solution to the problem would be the establishment of a Police sub-station in the Admiralty House area and a petition supporting the idea was signed by nearly every member of the audience.

But Chief Insp. Shaw said current manpower shortages would not allow any sort of permanent Police presence in the area.