Police are on the verge of agreeing a new shift system designed to boost flagging morale and put more officers on the beat at peak times.

The system would see officers working four days on and four days off but do longer shifts when they are on duty.

The model was presented to management two weeks ago and has the backing of the Police Officers Association.

Officers hate the current system which sees them working seven days, seven lates and seven nights with brief breaks in between.

The next stage in moving to a new shift pattern will see the details being shared throughout the ranks while management will assess if it is workable.

Outgoing Commissioner Jonathan Smith said surveys had shown peak periods and marked drop-offs in calls, with 9-10 a.m, 6-8 p.m and midnight ?til 4 a.m. being high demand times.

A new system could be tailored to that demand.

Mr. Smith told : ?It is absolutely a win-win situation for the public in terms of the number of resources being matched to peak times for calls for service and a win for Police officers.?

The Commissioner, who hands over duties to George Jackson at midnight tomorrow, said he had pushed for the new post of an Assistant Commissioner dedicated to handling Crime, Narcotics and Intelligence, which was announced by the Governor on Monday.

He said the new role would help target operations against dealers. ?Targeted operations require a lot of resources, equipment and time. It requires leadership, there is enough work to do in that area.?

Mr. Smith, 46, is retiring after five years as Bermuda?s top cop but he was coy over his new role which involves working locally in business. Asked about his stewardship he is proud about increasing Police numbers from 436 to 468. ?That?s 32 Police positions, additional to civilian positions, added during my time.?

Under his watch the Police Support Unit was born, blossoming into a highly trained 22-man street enforcement squad with hundreds of arrests under its belt. Armed Police have also been increasingly visible, sending the message to criminals that Bermuda officers have the capability of meeting force with force.

He said two or three new staff would be arriving to boost work on Proceeds of Crime legislation which helps recover ill-gotten assets from drug dealers and other criminals.

Improving equipment has also been a goal of Mr. Smith who revealed a new offshore patrol boat had been ordered and would arrive in mid 2006.

With increased range the speedy, purpose-built craft will help search and rescue and drug interdiction missions. ?It can sit offshore overnight if needs be.?

A raft of legislation protecting Police and helping them enforce the law had also been passed under his watch.

Tough laws jailing people with unlawful blades in public for three years had helped calm the streets. But he said drugs, poverty and broken families meant Police had to cope with the fall-out from social problems.

He said the 2005 crime figures were still being compiled but there had been successes under his leadership. ?We did go through two successive years when there was a reduction in reported crime and we have been going through a shorter period of a reduction in violent crime.?