After 11 years of doing everything from prosecuting traffic offenders to conducting high profile inquests, Sgt. Rex Osborne walked out of Magistrates' Court a free man last Friday.

And the 27-year Police veteran said he is retiring from the Service "with only good memories''.

Sgt. Osborne is the second senior officer to leave the Prosecutions Department within the past five weeks. Former department head Insp. Peter Duffy retired at the end of July.

Police prosecutors will eventually be replaced in the courtroom by lawyers from the Attorney General's Chambers.

But Sgt. Osborne told The Royal Gazette his decision to leave had nothing to do with the pending changes.

And he said he was leaving the Bermuda Police Service with "only good memories''.

Since beginning in central uniform at Hamilton Police Station in 1969, Sgt.

Osborne has worked in various departments including Operations Planning, the Motorcycle Squad, and Prosecutions.

Sgt. Osborne became a prosecutor in 1982.

"I was told I was here for two years,'' he recalled with a smile. He has been "here'' ever since.

And while he has dealt with prosecutions ranging from traffic tickets to murder, one of his main responsibilities for the past 11 years has been as the Coroner's officer.

Sgt. Osborne has handled more than 300 inquests with some resulting in prosecutions in the Supreme Court.

"Every sudden death is reported to the Coroner,'' he said. "We do about 30 inquests a year. They are all very sad. But the ones which set me back the most are those involving the death of a child.

"Of course the question we are often asked and cannot answer is why. But I try to assist the family when I can.'' Prior to coming to Bermuda, he worked for seven years with the Police Force in Gloucester, UK.

"So virtually my whole life has centred around Police work,'' he said.

But Sgt. Osborne, who also loves fishing and boating, will not be suffering from the blues. He plans to shortly enjoy a vacation in Hawaii with his wife, Pamela.

And he, with partners John Bremner Manderson Jr., Craig A. Stevenson, and Kenneth George Hayward, is seeking to set up a company called Micro Track Systems Ltd. which will import, make, sell, rent, buy, install, and repair inventory control systems, security systems, and information and date storage systems.

However, the former top football referee stressed that he was not leaving Police work because of the venture.

"It is a thing on the side,'' Sgt. Osborne said, declining to go into detail about the possible business. "It would have come even if I did not retire.

It's sad to leave, but time for a change.'' "I have enjoyed tremendously being down there (in Prosecutions). A lot of people think Police are against them, but we have a responsibility to not only present the facts, but to assist the court in bringing about justice.

"We have a good working relationship with the courts, lawyers, and probation officers. We're all here working together to solve problems in the community.'' Despite his role as a crime buster, Sgt. Osborne said he did not believe he had made many enemies.

"I see people sometimes who have been prosecuted and they thank me,'' he added. "I've had more trouble with people with parking tickets than those who have been sent to prison.''