Both Opposition parties called for a crackdown on drug abuse in prison after an Acting Magistrate said he feared for the safety of officers.Ed Bailey condemned cannabis use in Westgate as he sentenced alleged gang leader Jakai Harford last Friday for possessing the substance in his cell.Mr Bailey, a former United Bermuda Party MP and police officer, said illegal drugs are causing such problems in jail that officers are risking their lives every time they go to work.And he connected the Island’s growing recidivism rate with a prison system he claimed had become more like a community centre for criminals than an environment they fear.Reacting yesterday, Shadow Justice Minister Trevor Moniz accused Government of turning a deaf ear to concerns raised by prison officers.And United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan said officers now work in more threatening conditions than ever, questioning whether weapons could also be smuggled into the facility.Harford, 29, previously named by police as a high-ranking member of the 42 gang, was caught with 4.76 grams of cannabis in his underwear in September 2011, less than two weeks after he was jailed for five years for drug dealing.Extending his prison sentence by 15 months last Friday, Mr Bailey told Harford: “I don’t know how drugs are getting into prison. If you know and you are not saying, you are silent about it, you are not helping your situation.”As Harford remained silent, Mr Bailey pointed to prison officers in the courtroom, saying: “It’s dangerous to these young men who are risking their lives every time they leave home.“We are in the community, helping the system to work. We have to educate ourselves and train ourselves.“But there’s a small group of people in this community that’s dragging it down. That’s a threat to our livelihood.“This court has responsibility that the sentence I put to you must be a deterrent to people using drugs in prison.“It doesn’t seem as if the gang members up here ... they are not getting it, that you are destroying the community for us all and our families and those who come to this Country to visit.”Harford’s lawyer Marc Daniels had appealed for leniency, saying his client spent months in 23-hour lock down as he awaited trial, and accepted the drugs from a fellow prisoner in a moment of weakness.But Mr Bailey responded by saying of Bermuda’s prison system of the 1970s and early 1980s: “It was a terrible environment. It was cold, it wasn’t heated. Recidivism wasn’t as high as it is today.“What we have now is like a community centre. After his sentencing you would have thought that he’s turning over a new leaf, but he’s still getting involved. It didn’t impact on him in any way.”Mr Moniz said in a statement yesterday: “We sympathise with the comments of the Magistrate. The fact that a prisoner was caught with drugs indicates that serious problems persist at the prison.“This Government has turned a blind eye to the challenges faced in our prisons and a deaf ear to the concerns of the prison officers, as witnessed by the fact that they have had to resort to repeated public demonstrations to voice their concerns, which range from outstanding contract and safety concerns, including perimeter security, to a lack of operational tools.“We are equally concerned by the fact that the recent prisons review remains secret — a document that could help the public fully understand the scope of the challenges facing the prisons system.“This is a matter in which a Government committed to transparency could help Bermuda resolve long-standing problems.”He said the OBA believes in a carrot-and-stick approach to incarceration, saying longer sentencing is not a cure in itself.“We have to make rehabilitation work,” he said. “That means ensuring that prison officers have the support and tools they need to oversee today’s prison population and making sure that officers who abuse rules and regulations are dealt with properly.”Mr Swan said: “Acting Magistrate Ed Bailey’s comments are worth noting as the road that he has travelled to get to his role as an Acting Magistrate is wide ranging as a family man, former police officer, former cricket administrator, lawyer, businessman and a former UBP parliamentarian.“We are very concerned that the prison officers of Bermuda work in a far more threatening social environment than ever before in Bermuda’s history.“This certainly has an adverse affect on the morale of officers as it surely raises the question: is there an increased threat of weapons been smuggled into Bermuda’s prisons?“It is important to appreciate that Bermuda has experienced an unprecedented amount of murders in recent years and with recent arrest the social climate of the prison population as changed substantially.“Notwithstanding, the prison review, it is imperative that our correctional facilities be drug free and all efforts are made to ensure that our officers can work in a safer facility.“Unfortunately, the culture that facilitates gangs in Bermuda has not only extended itself into our prisons but is also having an impact on many families within Bermuda.“Additionally, one of the challenges that the people of Bermuda face is the influence of the gang culture on everyday life in Bermuda, especially with our people living in an economy riddled with difficulties.”