Government’s claim that it is cracking down on crime has been met with a lukewarm response from the Opposition.Shadow Public Safety Minister Michael Scott argued that, while planned stiffer penalties for some crimes may deter would-be offenders, the laws need to be enforced if they are to reduce crime rates.This month Government announced a new “get tough” approach to two types of crime — drink-driving and the smuggling of banned items such as cell phones into Westgate Correctional Facility.The legal alcohol limit for drivers is to be reduced by half, while stiffer penalties for motorists who drive under the influence are also being examined.And Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley announced that sentences for visitors who smuggle contraband into prison inmates are also to be increased “substantially”.Last night Mr Scott said he hoped the proposed penalty increases would have an impact on reducing crime levels — but warned that the laws needed to be enforced if they were to be effective as a deterrent.“I believe it is fair to say that there is scant relationship between the reduction of driving whilst impaired incidents in Bermuda and the reduction of the current alcohol to blood level ratios,” Mr Scott said.“Law enforcement agents must detect and arrest offenders first and prosecute offenders to achieve effective and meaningful deterrence outcomes — this is primarily a law enforcement issue.“That said, this is an opportunity that is before the Country to see if law enforcement, primarily the police, enforce road traffic laws vigorously under the new OBA Government.“We can all watch with guarded optimism this particular space as the matter of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads is a very serious problem for families and loved ones of the victims.”Mr Scott took a more positive view of planned penalty hikes for prison smugglers.He said that the crime “receives robust targeting by the Commissioner and his officers” and, with an increased likelihood of getting caught, would-be offenders might reconsider committing the crime if they knew they risked facing a heavy sentence.“We see a generally high number of confiscation of mobiles, which in turn leads to offending inmates appearing before the Parole Board when they are punished usually with loss of parole and other sanctions,” Mr Scott said.“Again the problem of cell phones should never occur since they can be used to totally defeat the aims of incarceration and so the additional energies of the Government to effectively remove illegal cell phone smuggling into the Corrections environment must be welcomed.”Mr Scott’s concerns echo those of road safety campaigner Joseph Froncioni.Earlier this month Dr Froncioni said he believed many drink drivers would continue to flout the law regardless of the severity of the punishment because they believed there was little chance of them getting caught in the first place.““Introducing new laws and enforcing them are two different things, and what we really need to do is, rather than changing the law, enforce the laws we already have,” Dr Froncioni told The Royal Gazette.“What we really need is a deterrent that is effective, and that has to be the fear of getting caught. There is very little in the way of police visibility on the roads at the moment and that’s one of the major reasons why people disregard the law.”