approachable manner yesterday received a thumbs up from the Progressive Labour Party.

And the PLP is confident a Bermudian Commissioner will be selected from among the current team of senior officers once Mr. Lemay's tenure is finished.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Alex Scott -- a frequent critic of previous Commissioner Colin Coxall -- made these statements during an interview with The Royal Gazette yesterday.

"We are finding Acting Commissioner Lemay refreshing,'' he said. "Both the Opposition leader and myself spent some time at Police Headquarters and he spent much time pointing out what things his officers can do and are actually doing.

"Mr. Coxall spent most of his time, if not all of his time in my presence, pointing out what Bermudians couldn't do and what was not being accomplished by our Police officers.'' Consequently, he said the PLP came away from Police headquarters with a better feeling about both the direction and leadership of the Service.

He added: "That never happened under Mr. Coxall. Bermuda actually now has someone at the helm who will seek to get the best out of our officers.'' And Mr. Scott pointed to the arrest of two men in connection with the murder of 69-year-old widow Beatrice Simons of Sandys as a good example of what can be achieved under Mr. Lemay's leadership.

Meanwhile, Mr. Scott encouraged Mr. Coxall to "put his concerns in writing'' and send them to him if he still believed that the Progressive Labour Party had used Parliamentary privilege to launch "a scurrilous attack'' on him.

Mr. Coxall, now back in England, said in a letter to The Royal Gazette earlier this week that it was very difficult to rebut such smears but he hoped the people of Bermuda could see that they were without justification.

But Mr. Scott refused to back down.

"If Mr. Coxall feels strongly about equal time in Parliament...I would only be too happy to present his views if they were written in a letter.

"I would table it in the House and see that it is placed on record and available for all other Parliamentarians,'' he said. "But if Mr. Coxall continues to write about the PLP and myself then he certainly invites the continuance of the debate about his sojourn here in Bermuda.'' Mr. Coxall quit last year shortly after a row over what became known as the Pearman affair.

Environment Minister Irving Pearman was caught up in an undercover operation called Operation Cleansweep.

Cheques written by him were found in the possession of two men arrested in the street drug-dealing swoop.

Mr. Pearman said the cheques were for work around his house and denied any involvement in drugs. He was never charged with any offence.

But both the Government and Governor Thorold Masefield denied Mr. Coxall's decision to leave the Police Service had anything to do with the controversy.