A decision to look to Jamaica for Police recruits to beef up Bermuda's thin blue line has sparked controversy.

And ex-top cop and Government MP Wayne Perinchief said he would not support hiring officers from the Jamaican police -- who are armed at home.

Mr. Perinchief -- a former Assistant Commissioner -- said: "There is no justification for it and I would not like to see it.

"Their style of policing is entirely different. They are more hard-line. We take a softer approach consistent with what we've always done -- community-based policing.'' And he added that the Jamaican police had been plagued by allegations of corruption and brutality.

Mr. Perinchief said: "Because of low pay and all the rest, there has been a lot of corruption and evidence of heavy-handedness.'' The Jamaican force -- whose officers in the capital Kingston alone shot dead 151 people last year -- have come under fire for resorting to force too quickly.

And Jamaica's National Security Minister K.D. Knight said he had "no doubt'' there were abuses of power -- but insisted that some "don't want any policing to take place''.

Mr. Perinchief added that an investigation was underway into allegations of Police brutality during a massive operation to remove homeless people from the Jamaican tourist mecca of Montego Bay.

Mr. Perinchief said: "I would query the wisdom of even going to that island.'' He was speaking after it was revealed that the Bermuda Police Service is set to send officers to Jamaica with a view to hiring some of the 45 new Police officers promised by Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Paula Cox.

A Police spokesman confirmed yesterday: "Members of the Police Service have been invited to Jamaica.'' But he added: "That is not to say we are committed to hiring from there.'' And he referred further questions to Ms Cox, whom he he said had been "kept abreast of all these developments''.

Mr. Perinchief stressed he was speaking in a personal capacity and he had not discussed the issue with the Minister.

He said: "She obviously would take her advice from some sources -- she and I never discussed the matter. This is entirely my own personal opinion.'' It is understood that the Island force turned to Jamaica after being unable to find recruits for short-term contracts from traditional recruiting grounds like Barbados.

Mr. Perinchief said that Bermuda traditionally did not recruit Police from forces which -- like Jamaica -- were routinely armed.

He added that, historically, Jamaicans and Bermudians did not blend well -- and that there was also a tradition of Jamaicans and people from other Caribbean islands not working well together.

Mr. Perinchief stressed his objections to Jamaicans were not based on race -- and pointed out Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Trinidad had provided excellent officers for Bermuda in the past.

Jamaican recruiting questioned But he said: "We find that some of the islands culturally mix well with Bermudians and each other.

"We have to be careful about the cross-cultural interaction between the islands.

"Generally places like Barbados and Trinidad and Jamaica are antagonistic to each other.'' And he added: "We generally found there was an incompatibility between the Jamaicans and Bermudians -- they just don't gel together.'' Ms Cox could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

But former Commissioner Lennett Edwards, who retired in 1995, said the Island needed Policemen. And he took a more optimistic view of recruitment from non-traditional areas.

He said: "It's a chance we're taking -- but life's a chance. It's going to be wait and see.'' He added that -- years ago -- larger islands with a faster lifestyle and more crime were avoided, but that times had probably changed.

Mr. Edwards said: "It is a big step for Bermuda from policies of years ago -- but that was years gone by.'' He added: "We're in a desperate situation and we need Policemen of experience.

"I do hope it will work out and I support the Minister for taking the bold step of recruiting overseas, when I'm sure she would rather have recruited Bermudians.'' Against: Wayne Perinchief Bold: Lennett Edwards