New travel visas for Jamaicans and the smashing of a number of drugs rings in 2002 led to a dramatic slump in the amount of drugs coming into Bermuda, Senators were told yesterday.

The visas were introduced in January, 2003 following concerns about the large numbers of Jamaicans intercepted bringing drugs to the Island.

?It is a fact that the Jamaica visa requirement has led to dramatic decline in arrests of Jamaican nationals for importing drugs into Bermuda,? Junior Labour and Home Affairs Minister Reginald Burrows said.

There was a big decline in the number of seizures in 2003 compared to the previous year for cannabis, cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, although seizures of ecstasy were up.

Last year Police and Customs seized a total of 225 kilograms of drugs. Sen. Burrows said last year?s slump was also due to operations in 2002 which broke up smuggling rings.

?The seizures made by Customs and Police during 2002 seriously disrupted the efforts of drug traffickers,? he added during Senate Budget debate on Police.

?Several illegal drug conspiracy rings which targeted their drug importation efforts at the International Airport and the cruise ships were seriously disrupted during the previous year (2002) as arrests were made.

?Several individuals are now incarcerated or are awaiting trial as a result. The efforts made in 2002 are believed to have led to a decline in seizures in 2003 as drug importers look to different methods to import illegal drugs into this country.?

United Bermuda Party Sen. Leonard Santucci accused Government of being full of promises which it failed to deliver.

While crime statistics may be coming down, Bermudians today feel less secure in their homes, he said.

And he said he hoped a large part of the increase in expenditure for the Commercial Crime Unit was not due to investigations into alleged fraud at Government projects ? such as Bermuda Housing Corporation and the new Berkeley School.

He questioned why Sen. Burrows? detailed statement on Police did not mention that Scotland Yard was called in to help the BHC investigation and questioned what the consultant being used by the commercial crime unit was doing.

?I believe this Government has kept him busy,? he said.

Referring to a statement that work will finally begin on the new Hamilton Police station in the coming fiscal year, he said: ?This Government is good for promises, especially broken promises. The hole (in Court Street) is still there, please put something in it.?

Independent Sen. Carol Bassett said she was concerned that there were more cars on the road, yet there appeared to be less traffic cops.

UBP Sen. Kenneth Bascome said St. George?s needed an upgraded station in the Old Town rather than one at Southside, in St. David?s.

St. George?s residents had welcomed the fact that there were getting four new community beat officers, but dismayed to find out they would only be working four or eight days a month.

?That was a shock because we were under the impression that having these beat officers on a daily basis would help alleviate problems,? he said.