New temporary overseas Police recruits could be pressed into undercover work in a bid to break the wall of silence surrounding unsolved murders.

Labour, Home Affairs and Housing Minister David Burch said they might come for six months at a time but the plan is still being worked on by Police bosses.

Asked about undercover work, Sen. Burch told The Royal Gazette: "Everybody in this country knows every Policeman, whether they are driving an unmarked Police car or not.

"One of the advantages of bringing in from overseas is being able to deploy that type of tactic.

"Six months is kind of the optimum because after six months people will know who they are too.

"So maybe we can bring in another batch. All of those options are being weighed."

Recently Police Commissioner George Jackson said he believed he knew who committed the high profile slayings of Aquil Richardson at Christmas, Shaundae Jones in 2003 and Jason Lightbourne in 2006.

And last year Assistant Commissioner Bryan Bell said Police knew the major drug dealers.

Asked why phone tapping was not being used more to catch criminals, Sen. Burch said he believed there was no provision in law to allow it. "And if I wanted to tap someone's phone, chances are someone related to that person works at the phone company, so the leakage of phones being tapped is reasonably high."

But Sen. Burch said he didn't believe the wall of silence was impenetrable.

"Public safety is at the top of this Government's agenda and our work in addressing the resource needs of the Police is very much at hand."

Some progress had been made on setting up a witness protection programme, but Sen. Burch added: "In a community this size you are talking about a fairly significant challenge.

"My own view is if we are able to increase the level of comfort in the community about Policing there will be a greater willingness to provide information — anonymously or in statements."

He said the ability to send anonymous text messages to CrimeStoppers with tip-offs would start shortly while Government had hired a software company to come up with a website for a similar purpose.

Police manpower is down 40 from the official compliment of 469 which will go up to 477 from April.

Standard recruitment continues, said Sen. Burch, with a Police team travelling to the Caribbean next week to interview 200 applicants with some expected to be hired and on the streets by the summer while Government is also trying to hire UK officers.

He said Police had identified nine Barbadian officers it wanted to hire last year but the Barbadian Police Commissioner had asked Bermuda to hold off until the Cricket World Cup was over and now new approaches were being made to getting them over.

But he said Barbados was also short of officers and was recruiting from other Caribbean islands.

The Minister said he was encouraged with efforts to recruit untrained overseas officers. "The concept is not a new one — it's something we are going back to."

There had been approaches by spouses of Bermudians wishing to join which was being looked at, said Sen. Burch, as he also vowed to improve perceptions about Police to help boost Bermudian recruitment.

New efforts are also being made to revive the cadet programme under an enthusiastic PC.

"It is clear that we as a country if we don't wish to, in ten years time, be policed entirely by foreigners that we try to make a better effort of trying to recruit Bermudians to buy into this process.

"Policing your friends and relatives doesn't have to be constantly adversarial. You can do your job in a fair manner.

"Times have changed. Part of it is how people are raised. You don't see a Policeman riding around a neighbourhood who helps little Johnny off his bike so he has a positive attitude about Police as he grows up.

"Today the first encounter many young people have with a Policemen is when they go 16 and they get stopped for speeding so it is already an adversarial first encounter so there's going to be a certain attitude."

Sen. Burch said experienced officers in the service now were being persuaded not to retire while local recruitment is continuing. And there could be a link-up with Rudy Guiliani's security firm to provide assistance.

"It's an area we are exploring but it is a more long term process to be able to look at the functioning of the Police service and improve it. "Obviously they have resources that could address our immediate need but the feeling is very much in Police and Government that it is far better to utilise resources which operate on the British legal model as opposed to the American model."

Asked if Police pay was enough to encourage locals to join and stay in the service as well as entice overseas recruits, Sen. Burch said: "The short answer is yes. But that is the full knowledge that one cannot compete with the private sector, particularly international business."

He said Police were better educated and more ambitious than years ago and could be tempted by 'pot of gold' on the outside.

"It's a constant battle. What I think will happen is creating people who have a love of Policing, who are doing it not just as a job."

Police have been working without a pay rise for more than two years. The issue went to arbitration which is now over but the award has yet to be announced. Sen. Burch said: "They are out of date but as a result of the two sides agreeing not to negotiate. It is a bizarre situation that I do not understand."

He has told staff in this case, and all others, to start on new negotiations once a new pay award is struck so the same mistake is not made again.