Both trained and untrained officers are being recruited from the Caribbean according to Home Affairs Minister Senator David Burch.

Explaining in the Senate on Monday, Sen. Burch said that the Bermuda Police Servicewas not operating at full capacity, which is 477 officers.

There are 431 officers right now, 52 percent of which are Bermudian and 48 percent are from abroad, and the Government is making efforts to attract more able bodies from the Caribbean.

Attracting untrained officers from abroad gives the Bermuda Police Service more freedom and ease to bring them from the Caribbean and train them in Bermuda, according to Sen. Burch

He said: "The recruiting team is in the Caribbean. We have recruited well over 100. I asked the team to oversubscribe those that we recruit.

"We are doing that in corrections as well. We are recruiting trained and untrained officers."

The advantage of untrained officers, according to Sen. Burch is that Bermuda would not have to wait for them to finish contracts with their employers because of training.

He also expects 11 officers chosen before the Cricket World Cup to come from Barbados, would be arriving soon.

The Barbadian service had asked Bermuda to wait until after the sporting event to move the officers.

Sen. Burch also acknowledged that there would have to be a stronger push to attract Bermudians to the Police service after last year's scheme failed.

Speaking on the issue, PLP Senator Wayne Caines said: "It's clear from looking at our numbers there has been an upsurge in crime and certainly there have been a high level arrests in Bermuda and in front of the courts.

"Unfortunately our crime is on the rise but I do believe that Police are in the forefront of fighting this crime.

"We are looking at getting untrained police officers in the Caribbean and they can come to Bermuda to get trained as specialists."

But, according to UBP Senator Michael Dunkley, the lack of manpower in the Police Service has been a problem going on for the past eight or nine years.

He said: "Without the required manpower to contract into the opportunities it's not going to get done. This has been a problem going on for the last eight or nine years."

Sen. Dunkley said he wondered if the low starting salary was part of the problem and perhaps the Police Service needs to look into offering a competitive salary.

The Senator also questioned the closing of the St. George's Police Station and asked when the Government planned to reopen it.

In response Sen. Burch said: "In relation to St. George's and the lack of funding, it's there. It's not a big project. A quarter of a million dollars will come out of the Ministry of Works' minor works budget."

Asked to justify the increase in the allocation for the Hamilton Police Station from $58 million last year to $78 million in this year's budget, by UBP Senator Charles Swan, Sen. Burch said he would have the answer on Wednesday.