Government needs to find ways to encourage the private sector to fund anti-gang and anti-drug initiatives, according to Senator Jeff Baron.

Sen Baron, the Junior Minister for Public Safety, told the Senate yesterday that several other countries are working to join forces with private parties to find funding for gang reduction programmes — and that two countries had found success by offering tax incentives to big businesses.

“They’re getting some incentive to do this but the community gets support with the money coming directly from the private sector to enrich the products of the Government and community activists,” he said.

“[Businesses] are doing a fantastic job here and in most communities. They do care and they hire the locals, but how do we get creative in these economic times when even the most successful companies here in Bermuda are facing some tough times? How can we get creative in bringing them more involved, more into the fold when it comes to gang reduction?”

Sen Baron said the topic was discussed during the Fourth Annual Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue, which was held in Washington DC last week. The event, organised under the Caribbean Security Basin Initiative, was focused on creating more effective partnerships between the nations involved to reduce illegal trafficking, increase public safety and promote social justice.

Sen Baron said that based on discussions, gangs were a “common theme” in discussions, with several countries discussing the initiatives being rolled out to deal with the problem.

Along with encouraging participation from the private sector, another main point was that nations, including Bermuda, should shift the issue of drug addiction from being a police matter to a health matter, providing education programmes to reduce the demand for drugs.

Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy, meanwhile, updated the Senate on modifications to the Island’s copyright orders and regulations, stemming from the Copyright and Designs Act 2004, which came into effect in 2008.

Sen Fahy said the Copyright Tribunal Rules 2013 were set to come into effect by the end of the year, putting in place the rules of procedure for the Copyright Tribunal, which would be established to resolve disputes between copyright holders and other parties.

Other orders discussed in the Senate included rules allowing schools to use copyright material for educational purposes, allowing designated bodies to copy copyright material to be archived and allowing designated organisations to modify copyright material to add subtitles.

Other orders allow copyright holders the right to size items for sale that infringe on their copyrights and have Customs seize copies of copyright material as prohibited goods.

“I am pleased to announce that after almost five years, the Regulations and Orders are now ready to be made and it is my intention to bring them into force within the coming weeks,” Sen Fahy said.

The Senate also approved amendments to the Firearms Act to allow the Commissioner of Police to issue one-year firearm licences for the purposes of pest control, extending the previous time limit.

And the USA — Bermuda Tax Convention Amendment Act 2013 and the International Cooperation (Tax Information Exchange Agreements) Amendment Act 2013 were both passed without objection. Both pieces of legislation are aimed at updating laws to enhance the Island’s tax information exchange framework to comply with international financial regulations.