two top jobs in the Bermuda Police Service admitted yesterday that Mr. Michael Mylod never served in Southern Rhodesia.

Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. John Irving Pearman said that he made a mistake when he told a forum last week that Mr. Mylod -- the deputy commissioner designate -- served in Southern Rhodesia in the 1960s.

"That was an oversight on my part,'' Mr. Pearman said yesterday. "I was speaking off the cuff (at the forum) and I made a mistake. Mr. Mylod served in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).'' But his counterpart Mr. Alex Scott said it was unprofessional for the Minister to make such a mistake since he conducted the interviews that led to a short list of candidates.

"Why didn't he know this information?'' Mr. Scott asked. "He went to England. I'm sure Mr. Pearman would have seen the resumes of the candidates as part of the decision making process.

"This only reinforces our view that a full examination of the issue must be taken. If Mr. Mylod's resume did not have that gap between 1957-65 none of this would have occurred. It would be clear where he was and when he was there.'' Deputy Governor Mr. Peter Willis said that as far as he knew Mr. Mylod was working in Lusaka (now the capital of Zambia) during the 1960s and never worked in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

Mr. Scott said the PLP would be conducting an independent investigation into the matter.

On Monday the PLP and the National Association for Reconciliation said Mr.

Mylod's Police service in Southern Rhodesia during the 1960s made him unsuitable, given the racial climate that existed during that period.