Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith has welcomed proposed changes in the Throne Speech that will tighten the law on crime ? and increase the powers of arrest for assault and use of weapons.

A substantial part of Governor Sir John Vereker's speech was dedicated to enforcing law and order in Bermuda, from the sports field to the street and from money laundering to drug interdiction.

And in an effort to address the high number of traffic offenders who consistently provide false information when stopped by the Police, the Government is to bring forward amendments to hold such individuals accountable for misleading the authorities.

Proposals are also under consideration to increase fines and penalties for speeding, and introduce standards for bike helmets.

Sir John said: "The Government intends to address the cavalier disregard for the basic rules of the road and to strengthen legislation to address acts of lawlessness within our community.

"The Government will amend the Criminal Code to expand the powers of arrest for assault and to increase penalties for assaults where everyday items are used as weapons, and where knives and other weapons are used in attacks."

He said the Criminal Code will be amended to target both the threat of terrorists and the the financing of terrorist activity, and legislation on financial crime will also be altered to close existing holes and allow for changes in technology.

And the Governor said Government would, overall, be reviewing legislation related to criminal procedures in a bid to address the full gambit of crime, punishment, justice and law and order.

Police Commissioner Mr. Smith said a number of issues relating to crime in the Throne Speech had been the result of on-going discussions between himself and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety in the last year.

"I'm certainly encouraged by what I have heard with respect to law enforcement initiatives because what I have heard is very consistent with the type of consultation we have had with the Ministry over the last 12 months," he said.

However, he said one of the areas he was most pleased about was the amendments to the Criminal Code dealing with assaults and the use of everyday items as weapons.

The Commissioner said if legislation was changed, the Police would be able to arrest people for assaults that are considered to be at the lower end of the scale, without officers actually having witnessed the offence.

At the moment, if officers want to proceed with a report of common assault or assault occasioning actually bodily harm that they have not witnessed, for example, they must either invite the alleged offender in for interview or get an arrest warrant.

But the new legislation would give them the power to simply make the arrest.

The Commissioner said: "If we get a report now, we can do something about it, but it is time consuming. The proposed change in legislation would enable us to deal with these complaints of assaults more quickly. We could get the offender arrested and interviewed, and if there is evidence, get the person brought before the court.

"It will directly aid us in our ability to intervene. The more pro-active we can be in our ability to arrest and investigate the better. We sometimes see that retribution (for assaults) can get more serious and it just keeps going up the ladder. Early intervention is very important."