and the Police Service yesterday after Hallowe'en passed on Friday night without one major incident.

And union executives could consider allowing their members to drive buses on normal schedules if they can be assured that parents and guardians will support the Police in a similar way next year.

Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess last night said: "I think that is something that we probably need to talk about with the bus division.

"If everyone is going to come together and protect each other like we saw this year, then we can talk about it.

"The safety of our drivers and passengers is our concern first and foremost.'' Mr. Burgess said that the BIU was encouraged not just with the increased Police presence -- 200 Police and reserves covered the Island until midnight on Friday -- but also with the National PTA's public stance against violence and unruly behaviour.

He added: "Their stand and the way the parents came out to ride buses was necessary. It is not just the Police Service's job to police the Island, the citizens, especially the parents, must take a part also.

"I am glad the National PTA and other groups came together like this and I hope that next year other groups, churches, unions and others will play a part.'' Meanwhile, Anthony Steede of the National Parent Teacher Association, said that he was happy with the way the community rallied on Hallowe'en.

"I have not discussed the issue with the committee,'' he said yesterday.

"But I can say that we are elated with the way the message we sent was received and acted upon.

"We are also happy not only with those parents who took responsibility for their children but that the children themselves were also responsible.'' And Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness was similarly congratulatory when The Royal Gazette contacted him and asked him for comment on the work of the Police Service and about the National PTA stance against violence and lawlessness.

"The men and women of the Bermuda Police Service did an excellent job,'' he said. "Their presence on the street was wonderful from the Acting Commissioner down to the Police constable. Acting Commissioner (Jean-Jacques) Lemay marshalled his officers and constables extremely well. Not only was he in at the organisational level, he was also down in the trenches and that was really nice. Things were extremely well run. Parents also have to be thanked because they had a major impact on how our young people behaved this year.'' TRANSPORTATION TRA CRIME CRM