Corporation of Hamilton chief Roger Sherratt is to contact Government and the Attorney General's Chambers to discuss how best to deal with the issue of beggars on the city streets.

He said he believed Bermuda needed to find a solution to the problem, which was aggravating tourists, particularly the aggressive behaviour of panhandler Eugene (Jinx) Darryl.

The Royal Gazette reported earlier this week how Mr. Sherratt had contacted Nottingham City Council in England for more information after it imposed a ban on beggars in certain shopping areas.

The council has now responded to his request, so Mr. Sherratt hopes to speak to related Government Ministries, and lawyers, to see if and how the ban could be implemented here.

But corporation secretary Mr. Sherratt said that was not necessarily the best way forward for Bermuda, and he merely wished to investigate a variety of ideas.

"I'm going to be contacting several organisations and Ministries to discuss what they did in Nottingham and whether it might be applicable here, from a legal point of view," said Mr. Sherratt. "There clearly is a concern about the problem, with Jinx in particular. The corporation is not suggesting that the only solution is to take out an injunction and ban beggars. There is maybe no magic answers, but we have to at least look at solutions and discuss it seriously.

"The intent of the corporation is not to say `lock them up and throw away the key', but we do need to solve the problem. This can have a very negative affect on our tourists."

Mr. Sherratt said he was very eager to find out more about a voucher system that is apparently in operation in some countries overseas. He said a woman had written to The Royal Gazette about it, and he wished to find out how it worked.

But his belief was that residents could buy vouchers to give to beggars, instead of cash, which could then be redeemed at certain cafes and restaurants for food and drinks. He said it would prevent beggars spending donated money on cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, and might prevent them from asking tourists for cash.

He added: "The only cost would be the production of some vouchers and finding some kind of distribution system, so people could buy and give them.

"Those details would obviously have to be ironed out."

Mr. Sherratt said whether or not beggars would stop hassling tourists if a voucher system was introduced was unknown, and he said there was also an issue of forgery of the vouchers, which would have to be considered.

Last night, Labour and Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister said the begging issue was a big concern to him and his Government colleagues, not only for locals but also tourists.

And he said he would like the opportunity to discuss it further with Mr. Sherratt to see if solutions could be found. "Fortunately, we are in a position where the number of people who, through their mental state their behaviour is disruptive, is very small," said Mr. Lister.

"The resident population can identify most of these people right off the bat, however, we do have to look at it on a serious basis and come up with a solution that is humane and in the best interests of both locals and tourists.

"Clearly, we don't want the tourist industry to be negatively affected. But, at the same time, the people who come as tourists often experience far, far greater problems back home in their states and home countries.

"Our problem is quite small, but that does not excuse it."

Mr. Lister said, working with the courts and Corporation of Hamilton, Bermuda had to come up with a solution, but, at this point, he did not know what it was. "I welcome Mr. Sherratt's suggestions and his willingness to meet with the Ministry to talk about these issues to see if we can come up with a long-term solution that will be a benefit to the community," he added.

The Tourism Ministry did not respond yesterday.