Non-Bermudian policemen outnumber local male officers but only just, according to figures provided to The Royal Gazette.

The staffing breakdown released by Bermuda Police Service reveals that there are 189 non-Bermudian male officers, compared to 155 local male officers.

It's a different story for women, with just 19 non-Bermudian female officers and 92 local female officers.

Overall, Bermuda Police Service has 455 officers, with Bermudians representing 54 percent and non-Bermudians 46 percent. Men make up 76 percent of the service and women just 24 percent.

The racial breakdown of officers is 351 black, 99 white and five Asian.

The figures were provided to this newspaper after Government MP Wayne Perinchief claimed Bermuda Police Service needed to recruit more local males because it had become "largely expatriate and disconnected from the general populace".

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly told a new parliamentary committee on crime that there could be a bias against recruiting young Bermudian officers.

The allegation was vehemently denied by Acting Police Commissioner Mike Jackman, who insisted: "There is an absolute bias towards recruiting suitably qualified Bermudian applicants."