boulder was hurled at approaching Police during a training exercise.

And the video gives the best evidence to date of what transpired in a six-minute encounter at the US Naval Annex between Regiment trainees and Police wearing riot gear.

Part of a training exercise intended to test Regiment and Police co-operation, the November 27 incident has highlighted divisions between two forces charged with ensuring Bermuda's internal security.

On Friday, in an attempt "to set the record straight,'' Police responded to an anonymous and derisive Letter to the Editor about their performance by displaying a collection of projectiles they said were hurled at them during the melee.

Among the items displayed was a boulder the size of a watermelon. Yesterday, again "to set the record straight,'' Bermuda Regiment Commanding Officer Lieut. Col. Allan Rance invited The Royal Gazette to view a video of the exercise shot by the Regiment for training purposes.

Nowhere on the videotape does such a missile appear. And photographs taken at the scene by The Royal Gazette only show fruit, paint bombs, and aluminium canisters being hurled at Police. The video also shows a boulder on the ground that appears to be the same one produced by Police. It did not move throughout the encounter.

The two sides have been reluctant to engage in a public slanging match, but their views of what happened differ sharply.

This much is agreed. Police were told mock rioters would confront them with soft ammunition. Along with plenty of fruit and paint balloons, numerous aluminium canisters and a few rocks were among the missiles thrown. Police were forced to retreat, and three officers suffered minor injuries in the battle. Police voiced their unhappiness at the debriefing that followed.

This much can be surmised: The Bermuda Regiment, whose riot squad faced Molotov cocktails and other harder ammunition upon relieving retreating Police, takes pride in a training programme intended to duplicate real-life conditions as closely as possible.

Its members felt they outperformed the well-paid Police and that Police reaction to a few cuts and bruises was overblown.

The Police, who saw the exercise as a test of communications and command structure, felt they were made easy targets for young members of Training Regiment only too happy to fire away at them without fear of reprisal. Facing real-life danger daily, Police feel any injury or uniform damage during a training exercise is stupid. In real life, Police response would have included tear gas.

The video shows members of the Regiment's Training Company in civilian clothes, surrounded by construction rubble but bouncing fruit in their hands as they await Police.

Under the scenario -- which formed only a short part of a weekend-long exercise -- the rioters had set a fire and the Police and Regiment were to secure the site for firefighters.

The colour videotape is complete with a digital time indicator in the lower corner that shows continuity until the camera jammed shortly after the Police retreated.

A group of about 20 Police wearing helmets, visors, and shields confronted the rioters at 10.28 a.m., just after the Bermuda Fire Service arrived without an escort and was forced to retreat.

The Police, whose short shields did not allow officers to protect their faces and midsections at the same time, met a barrage of what appeared to be fruit, aluminium ammunition canisters of various sizes, paint bombs, plastic piping, and a few rocks.

Without firing missiles of their own to send the rioters fleeing, the Police advanced too close to the mob, came under extremely heavy fire, broke ranks, and retreated toward their vehicles by 10.35 a.m. As Police drew back, trainees increasingly caught up in the drama surged forward and continued throwing projectiles.

The Regiment arrived as the Police retreated, with two 24-member platoons confronting the rioters and a third platoon covering the rear. Moving forward with shields that covered their entire bodies, and stopping to fire rubber bullets and other missiles of their own, the Regiment fended off rocks and gas bombs as it forced the rioters to flee.

A footnote to the exercise is that Bermuda Regiment officers were not totally pleased with their riot squad's performance.

The Regiment has stated the exercise was designed to let them practice relieving Bermuda Police. To do so, the Regiment is supposed to hold ground in front of the Police line, allowing officers to move back safely in the rear.

In this case, the request from Police came for Regiment assistance, but help was slow in arriving due to communication and transportation problems.

OUCH! -- A Bermuda Police officer crouches in pain after receiving a low blow from a projectile during an exercise with the Bermuda Regiment on November 27.

A Regiment video suggests no boulders were hurled at Police.