Pubdate: Mon, 06 Nov 2006
Source: Royal Gazette, The (Bermuda)
Copyright: 2006 The Royal Gazette Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.theroyalgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2103
Author: Dan Jones

AG PROMISES RENEWED EFFORT AGAINST CRACK HOUSES

Renewed Action Has Been Promised to Shutdown Bermuda's Crack Houses.

New Attorney General Philip Perinchief said that  previous warnings 
about clampdowns have been slowed by  legal problems.

"We had to search through some of the existing laws to  see if we 
could utilise those," he said, adding that  new laws or amendments 
would now be needed to tackle  the issue.

Asked about the scale of the problem, the Attorney  General said: "We 
think the problem is more extensive  than we thought."

But he assured residents living near such properties --  used for 
drug dealing or using -- that help was on the  way and added: "We are 
certainly going to see some  movement."

Mr. Perinchief said that planning laws were being  examined to see 
whether crack-houses should be  demolished or could be renovated. In 
August, former  Minister of National Drug Control Wayne Perinchief 
said  Government's vow to close 17 known crack-houses had  stalled 
because it lacked the necessary legal powers.

Only six crack-houses have been closed, he revealed,  three of which 
were not on the original list of 17.

To close them, Government used a housing act which  allowed it to 
close vacant and derelict homes, but that  act was of little use for 
tackling dealers operating  out of ordinary houses in respectable areas.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine