The issues of crime and anti-social behaviour in St. George's is being addressed, assured Corporation of St. George's Town manager Lance Furbert.

The Olde Towne was designated a World Heritage Site just over a year ago, but the east end has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately with reports of disturbances caused by young people.

Last week a Police public meeting was held in St. David's to discuss the concerns of St. George's parish residents, which include a rise in crime, a growing number of youths congregating and a plan to relocate the St. George's Police Station to a building at Southside.

The problems are no different from those experienced in other parts of the Island, but concerns remain nonetheless. Weeks away from the start of the tourist season, Mr. Furbert promises that steps are being taken to stamp out criminal behaviour.

"Obviously, it's very concerning whenever somebody gets accosted by teenagers, whether those people be teenagers or locals," said Mr. Furbert. "We have not only had problems with tourists, and some that made the paper lately, but also local people. Not necessarily being physically harassed, but the noise and bad language, that sort of thing."

At the hall meeting last week in St. David's, concerned resident Christina Millett laid the blame for problem youth squarely at the feet of their parents, saying the parents should be taken to court for their children's behaviour.

Mr. Furbert agrees parents should be more accountable.

"One of the approaches that we've taken is to try to draw the community together and that's been particularly successful," he stated.

"We had a very nice success story in one of the neighbourhoods here where the neighbours took it upon themselves to talk to the mother of the boys they thought were the problem and that got solved very quickly. The problem is you solve it in one area and it pops up some place else."

Hanging out is nothing new for young people, but their behaviour has changed over the years where they have become more and more disrespectful to older persons.

"You have a lot of kids hanging out and some of these kids just do what we all did, hang out on the street," said the town manager who has been in the post since last August.

"The problem is amongst those kids is the odd guy who is really up to no good. Either he wants to sell his drugs or he has a beef against something and he's going to take it out on some poor old tourist who comes along. It makes our job difficult because you have to distinguish between those who are simply hanging out and those who may be a problem."

Town officials and Police have names of the troublemakers, but those causing some of the problems may not necessarily be from the parish.

"When we were small, everybody knew each other and if you acted out somebody called your mom and you knew when you got home it was curtains," said Mr. Furbert.

"We don't have that nowadays. We have two people in the community, Larry Lowe, the MP, and James Smith, who have actually made quite an effort to go out and speak to these young people and they certainly have made some progress. But as soon as we get one group sorted out, something pops up some place else.

"It's a fluid situation where they go from one place to the other. We've had, in some cases, groups of up to 16 to 20 kids congregating in a place. Of course if something happens you will have other kids joining that group who may not necessarily be in it."

He added: "The really hardcore nuisances that are among those groups, I believe is a very small group. In talking to the Police and the neighbours the same names keep popping up over and over again.

"We've identified some of the troublemakers and have actually made contact with a couple of them and one in particular is a nice guy, a very bright young man who just lacks direction and is easily led. He has a reputation of being the big, bad guy and when somebody else starts something small he takes it on further."

Oftentimes the core of the problem is quickly identified...raised by a single parent with no relationship with his father.

"He doesn't have a real connection with his father so there is no male influence and his mother, as a single mother, is very busy trying to support the family," said Mr. Furbert of the young man he spoke of earlier.

"But some of the people in the community have made a connection with him, got him a job, and hopefully he will be pulled from that group into something productive."

Mr. Furbert doubts that the youth truly recognise the seriousness of their actions and how it impacts both on tourism and the community as a whole. A few weeks ago a sailor had his boat broken into while he was at dinner and had some money stolen.

"We were quite upset about it and I personally went and spoke to the captain and apologised on behalf of the town," explained Mr. Furbert.

"He was obviously upset about the fact that somebody had come onto his boat and stolen money, but he said he certainly would be coming back to St. George's and found it safer than most of the other ports he had visited.

"While these are serious problems we really don't want to blow them out of proportion because in many ways Bermuda is still a very safe and very friendly place.

"I don't think they (youth) make the connection that when you harm a tourist you are harming yourself. It's something we need to get over to them."

Police are attempting to get more involvement from the town's citizens, something which Commissioner Jonathan Smith spoke about at the meeting at St. David's primary school when he urged them to take ownership of their neighbourhoods.

"The Police have started a community-based policing programme and I feel that's going to be a great help to us," said Mr. Furbert.

"The Community Centre, we talked to them, and they are very keen to increase their programme. The churches as well, particularly the AME church.

"We really need the whole community and we particularly need to be in contact with the parents. The problem is we almost need somebody to do this full time.

"I have been reminded a couple of times by the Mayor and members of the Corporation that I wasn't hired as a social worker, that we have a lot of other things to deal with in the town.

"Hopefully the new policing initiative can fill that void, where somebody is employed to constantly be there and to make contact with these kids."

One of the problem areas in St. George's is King Square, the hub of the town, but Mr. Furbert said that problems in that area is being tackled.

"Of late the square hasn't been bad," he pointed out.

"Allan Powell, the owner of Freddie's, as well as the whole management of Freddie's has been very concerned and they have come to see us and we have had a couple of meetings with them. We have also had meetings with Toppy Cowen's group and there is a real consciousness that there is a problem."

Mr. Furbert thinks moving the Police Station to Southside will only be bad for the town if a police presence is also reduced.

"The Police have been very clear that their major reason for leaving is facilities," he stated in their defence.

"What would be critical is that if they do move to Southside that there is still a Police presence in St. George's. That's what most people want, a presence, that when they call for a policeman that in a very short time a policeman is going to be there.

"What we at the Corporation have to ensure is that, no matter where they go, the lines of communication are open and that we continue to work with them and help each other."