Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox kicked off Police Week yesterday with an appeal to the community to support the Island's officers.

She said the purpose of the week was to celebrate 122 years of the Police Service in Bermuda, and to make people more aware of the work it does.

The Cabinet Minister cut a blue ribbon outside of City Hall to launch the activities, and said she wanted to promote positive working relationships between the Police service and members of the public.

A number of activities will be held throughout the week, and vehicles, including the Force's emergency disaster response vehicle and Police bikes will be on display outside City Hall.

Ms Cox said: "The gratitude of the entire community goes to the men and women of the Bermuda Police Service who consistently discharge their onerous responsibilities with a sense of duty, with admirable determination and with considerable dedication.

"It is as a result of their sense of duty that the men and women of the Bermuda Police Service ensure that the highest possible standards of performance and professionalism are upheld.

"Through their dedication, they have made, and continue to make, outstanding contributions in the area of community policing and partnerships, fostering a greater sense of effectiveness as they carry out their duties.

"Through their determination, they succeed in the maintenance of high standards of law and order in our community and work assiduously to apprehend those who offend the law.'' She said the whole of Bermuda had to band together to give the Police the support they needed to fight crime.

She said it was apt that the launch of the Police Week coincided with the beginning of consultations on the Island by Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on plans to change Bermuda's Constitution.

She said both were "momentous occasions'' and the aim of both was to preserve law and order.

Yesterday, both Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay and Commissioner Designate Jonathan Smith were off the Island, but Acting Commissioner George Jackson had the honour of launching the special week, along with Inspector Tracey Adams, who has coordinated the week.

Mr. Jackson said he, too, believed the Service's future relationship with the public was promising.

He said there had been much change within the organisation as it strived to adapt to the changing needs of the community, and said these changes were paving the way toward a new vision for the way the service operated.

He said: "We foresee a Bermuda working hand in hand with its Police Service to address issues that concern us all.

"We anticipate a Bermuda in which the public joins with the Police to apply a problem-solving approach to reduce incidents of crime. We acknowledge a common goal, a community in which all people can live free of the fear of crime.'' And the Acting Commissioner, who was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner earlier this year, said the new Bermudian management team would ensure that the public was served "without faltering and without prejudice''.

He added: "We have begun a series of well-deserved promotions, which will ensure that the service has leadership that is strong and deeply rooted in our core values. The vision of a successful partnership with the public is not a new idea, nor is it unattainable.

"Our common goals will ensure that our paths remain interconnected.''