A senior Police officer has dismissed reports that officers will not monitor the Harbour Nights tourist event unless paid to do so, but confirmed the organisers will have to foot the bill in future if they want full-time patrols.

Deputy Commissioner Roseanda Young said officers will continue to mount ?passing patrols? through the street fair which attracts crowds of visitors to Front Street on summer Wednesday evenings. The decision to ask the Chamber of Commerce to foot the bill for any additional security presence when Harbour Nights kicks off next week simply brought it in line with Police policy for other similar events, she said.

However, a Chamber representative has told that the Police have not given any formal notification of a change in policy and it is waiting for confirmation on where things stand. The controversy was sparked earlier this week by the three candidates running for Mayor of Hamilton. Lawson Mapp, Sonia Grant and eventual winner Jay Bluck said they understood the Chamber of Commerce would have to foot the security bill in future and expressed deep concern over this.

Commenting on the controversy for the first time, Mrs. Young said: ?I want to reassure the public that there will be Police. It is nonsense to say that security is in doubt.?

She said that all events in Bermuda which draw a crowd are monitored by regular on-duty police officers.

Depending on their scale, event organisers can also hire off-duty cops known as ?extra duty officers? in addition to this to patrol inside the event. It costs $35.61 per hour to hire a Constable and $43.44 for a Sergeant.

Harbour Nights has, in previous years, had a continuous presence of reserve and regular Police officers within the enclosed area.

The event will still be checked on by passing patrols and have officers allocated to traffic duties as in the past, said Mrs Young. However, she added: ?If the organisers want officers to remain inside the enclosed area for the duration of the event and they need specific numbers of officers, then that will be done through extra duty?

Mrs. Young said that this stance had been taken towards other events such as Cup Match and matches at the National Sports Centre for several years.

?We have never imposed the policy on the Chamber of Commerce in relation to Harbour Nights regarding extra duty although all other organisations have had to endure this. We had discussed this with the Chamber of Commerce last year and they had asked for one year?s grace because it was such short notice. We agreed because they wanted to notify the vendors and adjust their fees accordingly,? she said.

Asked why Harbour Nights is no longer being treated differently to the other events, she said: ?I?m not really sure ? that was under (former Police Commissioner) Mr. Smith?s reign and I honestly don?t know why. I could imagine that ultimately it was to make sure that every organisation was being treated fairly and equally. Harbour Nights was the only organisation that was not in line with the service policy.?

She added: ?We will police Harbour Nights ? I want that said said loud and clear. The reports about Police not going to Harbour Nights are absolutely ludicrous. We have a responsibility to the safety of people. We are well aware of the numbers of people that are going to be attending Harbour Nights so we still police it but they are asking for a continuous presence full time within the confines of the Harbour Nights location which is totally different for every other event.?

Mrs. Young was keen to emphasise that event organisers, as well as the Police, have an obligation to take steps to ensure safety and discussions are continuing with the Chamber of Commerce. Diane Gordon, executive vice president of that organisation said she was waiting for Commissioner of Police George Jackson to get back to her about the situation.

She said that while policing had been discussed last year, this was in the context of an informal conversation with an officer.

?A comment was made that there may be a change in policy in future. My response to the individual who said it during a casual conversation was that if any policy change was to occur we would need to know a year in advance in order to inform sponsors and vendors. It would have to be put in writing,? she said ? adding that no formal notification has been forthcoming.

She said that while the Chamber has been fortunate never to have to pay for policing at Harbour Nights, neither has it had to do so for the Destination Dockyard event.

Mrs. Gordon echoed Mrs. Young?s reassurance to the public that the event will be policed and will go ahead as usual. She said that even if the Chamber did have to foot the bill for extra patrols, the future of the event would not be in jeopardy.