new Commissioner Mr. Colin Coxall said yesterday.

In a forthright interview with The Royal Gazette , he said: "I am concerned that we are top heavy with rank.'' And he admitted management posts could be "slimmed down'' to make the Service better geared to meeting community needs, and to slash costs.

"If necessary, it will mean the elimination of unnecessarily burdensome management structures.'' Mr. Coxall has given himself 90 days to come up with a strategy for the Service. A third of that time has already elapsed.

Once the deadline has passed, Government desks will be hit with a detailed report on his proposals.

And the report is expected to be made public.

Yesterday Mr. Coxall -- who describes himself as a "plain-speaking'' Policeman -- revealed some of his thinking to The Royal Gazette . It included: Switching officers from clerical jobs to "operational'' Police work; Hammering out clear objectives for the Services, and outlining ways of meeting them; Boosting the training of Police officers; Capitalising on the full potential of Bermuda's Police Reserve Force; Encouraging communities to get involved in upholding law and order through Crime Prevention Associations, on which there would be Police representatives; Using high technology, such as special unmanned cameras, to control traffic and reduce accidents; Taking advantage of road engineering to enforce the law. This could include using speed bumps; and Creating posts of Force Personnel Officer, Occupational Health Officer and Welfare Officer.

Mr. Coxall, former Assistant Commissioner of the City of London, said he was looking at the Service "in its entirety''.

"I am looking at its structure, staffing, and skills base, and I am looking at the overall efficiency of the Force, and how it is meeting the demands of the Bermuda society.'' He said he had taken account of Judge Stephen Tumim's "excellent'' report on Bermuda's criminal justice system.

And deputy Commissioner Mr. Michael Mylod had been given responsibility for putting the recommendations in place.

Mr. Coxall said he had embarked on an exhaustive consultation exercise, tapping people's brains on how the Police can be improved.

Community leaders, including politicians, had been consulted.

One of the weaknesses within the Service, said Mr. Coxall, were the "considerable imbalances'' within it when measured against modern Police Forces elsewhere.

"There are too many officers tied up to non-operational Policing work. There is immense scope for civilianisation to free up officers to deliver a service to the public.'' Mr. Coxall reckoned more than 50 officers, currently doing clerical and administrative work, could be redeployed and retrained.

He also highlighted the need for the Service to have clear objectives.

"They seem to be lacking at present. We have to set objectives, and then task the Force to set about meeting those objectives.

"They may well relate to a whole range of issues, including drugs, crime, and community-based initiatives aimed at ensuring the public is receiving the best possible service.'' Mr. Coxall said the Force needed a vision, and clear leadership.

Coxall to produce modern strategy for Police service That was the job of the Commissioner, he stressed.

And a key move in this direction was to set up a Policy Making Committee, made up of senior Police officers with himself as the chairman.

Mr. Coxall went on to emphasise the importance of the Bermuda Reserve Force, saying it should play a key plank in future policing.

"We need to build on their existing skills,'' he said.

If the "civilianisation programme'' was successful, officers previously doing clerical work could link up with the Bermuda Reserve Force.

This would help make the Service far more visible to the public.

Throughout the interview, Mr. Coxall drove home the importance of working with the community in the fight against crime.

One idea was to set up Crime Prevention Associations -- more business-based organisations than Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Through such associations, which would work with the Police, proposals to install anti-theft surveillance cameras, for example, could be discussed.

Mr. Coxall also touched on possible ways of controlling traffic, and boosting road safety.

Special cameras could be installed at accident black spots which would be designed to film any vehicle breaking the speed limit.

"These cameras would be automated, and there would be no need for an officer to hold them,'' he said.

Mr. Coxall said it was up to the community and Parliament to decide how Bermuda approached traffic regulation, and whether speed limits should be relaxed.

Mr. Coxall summed up: "There is a lot to be done. It's quite a challenge, but I'm lucky in having an excellent deputy, and given the support we can turn the Force around.'' He added he had been "heartened'' by the reception he had received from officers, despite the controversy surrounding his appointment.

"I have also been welcomed by members of the public.'' POLICE Mr. Colin Coxall