Senate yesterday.

The 11 members of the Upper House also backed new laws to punish modern-day pirates and terrorists on the high seas.

And they introduced Bermuda's first permanent ban on imported milk.

Government Sen. Yvette Swan introduced the Police Amendment Act 1997 for its second reading.

She said the laws would develop a framework to allow Police to negotiate improvements to their pay and conditions.

Under the legislation, the names of the Bermuda Police Force and Reserve Constabulary will change to Bermuda Police Service and Bermuda Reserve Police.

Officers at the Police Association will also be able to widen their fundraising activities once the Governor rubber stamps the new laws.

Police are still not allowed to join trade unions or take industrial action.

But Sen. Swan said: "This will go some way in reassuring our Police personnel that Government appreciates the uniqueness of their position and important contribution which they make to the peace and prosperity of these islands.'' Opposition Sen. Milton Scott supported the laws to introduce new collective bargaining agreements.

But he said Police should also be allowed to negotiate their pension and retirement rights.

He said: "Most Bermudians will welcome the name change from a force to a service and the change from Reserve Constabulary to Reserve Police.

"Now Police will be able to sit down and negotiate pay, hours of work, lieu and other conditions of service but no issues like retirement, pensions or discipline.

"Retirement and pensions is a sore spot for the Police Service and very much an issue.

"There is mandatory retirement for Police after 25 years' service unless they are in the upper echelons of the service.

"Pensions are drawn at age 50 so if you start at 18, you can wait up to six or seven years until you get the pension.

"This is also an issue for prison officers, firemen and Regiment officers.

And I'm sure the Police Association would like to see some of these issues addressed.

"They perform a vital service to our community and they should be compensated.'' The new laws will allow an independent tribunal to decide disputes between rank-and-file officers and management.

Sen. Scott added: "Setting up a tribunal which has some teeth will greatly assist any negotiations and discussions that Police officers have.'' Progressive Labour Party Sen. Neletha Butterfield said now that the Police Service was address, parliamentarians needed to turn their attention to the Fire and Prison Services, Her sentiments were echoed by Independent Sen. Alf Oughton who urged the Government to do for the Fire and Prison Services what was done for the Police.

The Maritime Security Act 1997 was also passed through the Senate and will now be sent to be signed by the Governor.

The laws provide maximum penalties of life imprisonment for hijackers or terrorists who bomb ships or ports.

United Bermuda Party Sen. Larry Scott said the legislation was introduced in the wake of a joint UK-US memorandum on terrorism at sea, and followed a recent blueprint set out in the Isle of Man.

He said: "The UK suggested we amended our legislation and anti-terrorist acts.

"This is particularly aimed at cruise ships in our harbours and protecting tourists, but also merchant ships and other commercial shipping.'' Progressive Labour Party Sen. Terry Lister asked if criminals convicted under the new code could be sent to UK prisons.

He added: "If 10 or 20 were caught after terrorising a ship that would be 10 or 20 more in our prisons.

"We would not be housing these people to make them better citizens and we would not be saving Bermuda as such because any ship that is registered under the Bermudian flag falls under this legislation.

"If a Bermudian ship is off the China coast and is seized by Chinese bandits, the captain would have an obligation to try and return them here.'' Larry Scott added: "As far as housing convicts goes, we are playing in the big league now.

"I'm afraid that with every benefit there is a burden and the burden here is that we have to take responsibility for this.'' Fellow UBP Sen. Allan Marshall supported the introduction of long jail terms as part of the new laws.

He said: "Life imprisonment is the order of the day for these offences.

"This is no joking matter and it should be noted that we are taking this very seriously.'' PLP Sen. Milton Scott threw his weight behind growing calls for the Bermuda Regiment to develop a Marine section.

He said: "Generally, we support this Bill. It's nice to see Bermuda rightfully take its place in the international marine environment.

"We need to start policing our marine environment further and wider than the Police are able to.

"Maybe in the next session of Parliament, some new legislation will be coming this way to set up a new branch of the Regiment.'' Senators also approved new laws to ban foreign milk from being imported into Bermuda on a permanent basis.

The Importation of Milk (Prohibition) Act replaces legislation set up in 1984 to ban imports on a year-by-year basis.

Sen. Marshall, introducing the Bill for its second reading, told the chamber: "The dairy industry is one of the few industries on the Island which we can claim is self-sufficient.

"This is about whether Bermuda should protect its dairy industry or not.'' He said the Island's three major dairy farms supplied 95 percent of Bermuda's raw fresh milk, with the rest provided by other local farmers.

The three main dairies work on 35 acres and provide 1.5 million quarts of fresh milk a year.

Sen. Lister backed moves to support dairy farmers but said the Bill should not have been discussed until a report on the industry had been through the chamber.

And he was criticised by Government Senate leader ET (Bob) Richards) and Sen.

Larry Scott for a "cynical'' suggestion that the Bill was designed to protect dairy industry boss and new UBP MP Michael Dunkley.

Sen. Lister said: "I made a passing comment with regard to who we may be protecting, since which the members on the other side have made a big thing of it.''