The most senior-ranking female officer in the history of the Bermuda Police has spoken of her determination to ensure the Service attracts only the best recruits, and to root out rogue officers who don?t meet the high standards she expects.

Roseanda Young, who was appointed Deputy Police Commissioner last month after 27 years in the Service, has responsibility for human resources including discipline matters, as well as finance and technology.

Mrs. Young outlined her intention that the officers working under her must strive for the highest standards, explaining: ?You shouldn?t come in here thinking that you can give anything less than your very best. You should have a passion for the job and a desire burning in your heart to do it well.?

Former Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith, who was succeeded upon his retirement last month by George Jackson, made it clear before he left that a minority of officers left something to be desired in the areas of standards, ethics and accountability.

Quizzed about this, Mrs. Young ? who admits that her task as force discipline officer has ?not been too pleasant? so far ? said: ?There?s some room for improvement, and quality of service is one of my biggest beefs.

?The discipline unit is in place to ensure that standards are maintained, but in an organisation of over 500 people it?s going to be difficult to have the same level of professionalism throughout.

?Officers and members of the Service have to accept that they will be held accountable for what they are doing and if you are not prepared to adhere to instructions and the law then I will never hesitate to take the necessary action.?

She was also keen to stress the importance of the Police Service presenting a united front in future when it comes to meeting the considerable challenges it faces.

?Team work for success has always been my philosophy, although that phrase drives some of the people I work with bonkers,? she said.

?I believe in it and live by it and work by it. You cannot accomplish anything on your own ? we have got to be supportive of each other.?

The biggest challenge on the horizon, she explained, will be the new Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which is set to modernise the way officers stop and search people, and arrest and detain suspects.

It will also change the processes of questioning and evidence gathering, as well as the admissibility of evidence in court and will, said Mrs. Young, have a ?huge impact? on the service.

?PACE is going to require extensive training and will mean a huge cultural shift within the Police although it will create a higher level of professionalism in policing,? she said.

?There?s no doubt that the public will recognise this transition ? especially those people to whom we provide a quality service in custody!?

She revealed that a senior-ranking officer from the UK will be flown in to oversee the implementation of the legislation.

?He?s going to be the project manager, coming in from March 1 to look at things like training the trainers as well as our technology, and I?m sure he will be very helpful. PACE is going to have a huge impact on the technology and we are not quite ready yet.

?It?s not so much the systems we have but the way they talk to each other. PACE won?t just involve the Police but the entire criminal justice system and it?s really important that all of those systems talk to each other.?

All of this, she said, would inevitably have ?huge financial implications? for the Service, which is is currently trying to assess these while ?hoping for some good things? in next month?s Budget.

Another major issue is the challenge of recruiting top-quality Bermudian recruits to the Police Service who are currently choosing to work in the more lucrative private sector.

?We are not really getting the quality of recruits that we want and we are trying to stress to the current officers that it is their professionalism and quality of service that will encourage others to join the Service,? she said.

?The issues are the unsociable hours and the confrontational type of work that the officers are going to engage in. We are looking at our options and have already held a recruitment fair to target those students who are currently overseas while they were in Bermuda on their Christmas break. We are also going to look at approaching reputable community organisations to see if they can assist.?

One month into her new role, these potential new recruits would find no greater an advocate of the Bermuda Police Service than Mrs. Young, who enthused: ?I have enjoyed every day of my career ? it?s exciting and I?ve had a lot of opportunities. I believe in getting the job done ? no excuses ? as we are here to serve.?