Ms Renee Webb (PLP) took exception to a statement by the Premier that social problems were the product of the home and the educational system.

She said the reality was that no matter how much parenting and education a child received, they still faced a society permeated by institutionalised racism.

Consequently, she said many children were not on an equal footing.

Ms Webb called on white Bermudians to work to destroy the institutions that perpetuate racism in Bermuda because she said integration had been "one sided'' with blacks joining what were once all white churches and clubs but the reverse did not occur.

Additionally, Ms Webb said that kids from good homes were rebelling because they were finding out that though they had degrees, they still were not considered equal to their white counterparts.

"They see the kind of repressive society that is being perpetrated by members of this house.

"It gets tiring week after week discussing these reports ... you do not have to be a rocket scientist to put the rules and procedures in place to address institutionalised racism.

"... Dr. Eva Hodgson has been writing the same letters she wrote ten, 20, 30, years ago.

Ms Webb also questioned why the number of women were being limited to 64 out of a full strength total of 489 officers.

Though agreeing that there are some positions where strength is necessary, she said there were many other areas where women could fill in.

And that the policy clearly discriminates against women.

"We outnumber men 52 percent to 48 percent in the population and we also outnumber them in the work force. I don't understand the logic.'' Ms Webb also asked why female officers were not moving up the ranks faster in the Police Service and she pointed out that Gertrude Barker who has spent over 20 years on the force, appears to have reached her peak.

Mr. Tim Smith (UBP) noted the survey pointed out that while the vast majority of people respected the Police, there were some sectors of the community that do not.

He said he found it "astonishing'' that the Police had not yet defined their name or their mission statement.

"I prefer the name Bermuda Police Service. `Force' is a misnomer. It is not proper.'' Mr. Smith said it was important for performance evaluations to be done using objective standards and that the confusion surrounding pay and performance needed to be completely removed.

"The objective of Bermudianising the Police Service is flawed. The aim should be to get the confidence of the public. I believe Bermudianisation is a race without a finish line and if we keep looking at it other things will suffer.'' Mr. Smith said instead such things as crimes solved per officer, response times in minutes and turnover rate were better standards of evaluation.

Mr. Smith questioned the "ambiguous and arbitrary target'' of a 15-percent quota for women officers, which the Police had recently reached.

"I hope that it is reviewed,'' he said of the quota, noting that women could do most Police jobs at least as well as men. "It makes no sense to me whatsoever.'' Ms Jennifer Smith (PLP) took up Mr. Smith's point, saying there was "discrimination inherent'' in the Police quota. "We have taken a step backwards with this move,'' she said.

"In this day and age, we should not be talking about a quota for women.'' The women's section of the Police force should be done away with, because it was holding women back.

Government Whip Mr. John Barritt said that of the 49 recommendations in the Police Tumim Report, 32 were either agreed to or being implemented, seven were not accepted, and the rest were under "active review.'' said.

Mr. Barritt, too, was critical of the 15-percent quota for women officers. "I hope that we will reconsider ... for what they bring to bear within the organisation,'' he said.

He applauded the force's move toward community policing, but warned that Police could never replace parents in preventing crime.

A statutory scheme for handling complaints about Police would enhance trust in the force, he said. Mr. Barritt also felt Bermudians should know their rights, and suggested members of the bar could "put down in precise form the rights that people have'' for public distribution.

Mr. Trevor Moniz (UBP) said Police had been doing a good job while "stretched'' with respect to manpower and other resources.

Officers had been promised a new Hamilton Police station for many years. The present one was "a disgrace, Mr. Moniz said.