Bermuda is experiencing a "pandemic of drug dealing and drug abuse,'' Government backbencher Wayne Perinchief said yesterday.

The former Assistant Commissioner of Police said that, in his opinion, there has been an increase in anti-social behaviour since the PLP took office, partially because some people believed the party would be soft on crime.

Mr. Perinchief and other MPs applauded the actions of Police in sectioning off a portion of Court Street on Wednesday night in order to conduct drug searches.

There was a public outcry following the action with many claiming Court Street was being unfairly targetted.

But Mr. Perinchief said these people were "in denial'' about the drug problem in Bermuda.

"There could be an increase in what I call anti-social behaviour in certain areas of this country,'' he said. "And Court Street is one of these areas.'' Those arguing wondering why Police were not targetting Front Street or looking for the mythical "Mister Big'' behind the drug trade were simply refusing to see the drug situation for what it is, he said.

"You don't see people hanging out in great numbers on Front Street,'' said Mr. Perinchief.

"If Court Street is the point of sale, or Ord Road is the point of sale, or St. Monica's is the point of sale, or my back yard is the point of sale ...

that is where you must attempt to disrupt the transactions,'' he said.

The backlash to the searches on Court Street Wednesday night was raised in the House by PLP backbencher Stanley Morton immediately following motion to adjourn yesterday.

Mr. Morton said anyone with the best interests of the country at heart should be supporting the Police rather than criticising their efforts -- wherever they choose to take the battle against drugs.

And, he said people are being driven so far by the seeming inability to deal with drug pushers in Bermuda that one man even told him he was planning to take the problem on personally -- with matches and a can of gasoline.

Opposition MP Cole Simons agreed that too many people were in denial about the drug culture. He told Parliament that he had recently been at a function -- "and I admit it was a rough function'' -- where an elderly woman had told him of a young man caught with drugs.

"She said `the dumb boy didn't even hide (the drugs) properly','' said Mr.

Simons. "And I said to myself, `what kind of a country are we living in?''' Each person in society has a role to play, he said. "If we see (drug use) in our immediate environment, it falls on us to stop it.''