Bermuda's bid to become an air and sea mini-power was yesterday backed by Shadow Home Affairs Minister Alex Scott.

And Mr. Scott -- laid up on doctor's orders with a bad back for Friday's Budget debate on Home Affairs -- said the UK could provide the hardware and personnel while Bermudians were trained as pilots and blue water sailors.

Mr. Scott added the UK should step in with equipment and crews until Bermudians had been brought up to standard.

He said: "There is the expense, the equipment and the skills needed, which we would look to Britain to provide us with.

"We would need training and guidance and -- initially -- the talent to operate them, but in short order we would hope we'll get our local lads and lasses up to speed.'' Mr. Scott was speaking after Labour and Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness said on Friday that Bermuda would have to develop an air-sea capability, involving a helicopter and larger, armed vessels.

And he said a UK Ministry of Defence expert was set to come to the Island to help draw up plan to beef up Bermuda's maritime role in a bid to increase drug busts and protect the Island's territorial waters.'' At the recent UK-Caribbean Forum in the Bahamas, UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook announced his Government was set to donate a Royal Navy patrol vessel to be based in the eastern Caribbean and used for training purposes -- particularly anti-drugs work.

RN vessels which could prove suitable for Bermuda's use include the 120-foot long, 21-knot twin-engined Bird Class patrol craft, which is armed with a 40mm Bofors gun and two light machine guns and carries a crew of 21.

In the air, Bermuda could use a Westland Lynx helicopter, carried on many UK ships. It can cruise at 125 knots, but has a relatively short range.

The Westland Sea King, however, is the RN/RAF standard search-and-rescue chopper which has a range of 660 nautical miles. It is used on ships and from land and can carry armed response teams.

Bermuda was left with gaping holes in its capabilities to police its waters after the final withdrawal of US and UK military forces in 1995.

But it is hoped Britain -- left with an excess capacity of ships and aircraft following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union -- could be persuaded to donate equipment and provide training in Bermuda.

Mr. Scott said: "For years we have been saying we must expand the role of the Bermuda Regiment into one which includes a coastal patrol.

"If Bermuda is supposed to be a wealthy jurisdiction, if we have a drug problem and we need to patrol our waters, we need both marine and air capability.

Mr. Scott added that air-sea patrols could also offer full-time jobs for Regiment personnel -- and boost the attractiveness of military and Police service.

He said: "This would offer fine potential careers for our youngsters, rather than just a ceremonial role. It would excite and awake the interest of young people in the Regiment and Police.''