As Bermuda grapples with the problems of keeping the community a safe place, increasing reliance is being placed on the Reserve Police Service.

Underlining the value placed by the regular Police Service on its volunteer support organisation, the Reserves Building at Prospect headquarters has now been enlarged and completely renovated. An official opening of the new facility is planned for next Monday.

"If you're concerned about your community, what better way is there of helping to fight the problems than from the inside? As a Reserve officer, you become an integrated part of helping to preserve the community,'' says Ch.

Insp. Vendal Bridgeman who, in addition to his administrative work at Police headquarters, serves as Executive Officer, liaising between the regular Police Service and the Reserves. "We would like to encourage more people to join the Reserves,'' he adds.

That is a sentiment fully shared by Police Commissioner Colin Coxall. "I see the Reserve Service as being a very important aspect of the ability of the Police Service to respond to the needs of the public -- especially as a back-up when we are over-stretched. It is important that the Reserves are integrated as much as possible into the regular Service.

"I believe,'' adds Mr. Coxall, "that they have already had an impact on crime in Hamilton, working alongside regular officers. In the last six months, handbag snatching has declined by 52 percent -- a problem that has been causing great concern to the Mayor, Mr. (William) Boyle. While it's difficult to say that this is the sole reason, I'm encouraged that the higher profile of policing Hamilton's streets has contributed towards that lower figure.'' Noting that there are currently 88 Reserve officers (41 percent of whom are women) Mr. Coxall says he would like to see that figure increase.

"But,'' he cautions, "we are more concerned with quality rather than quantity -- people who are willing to make a meaningful contribution by means of the effort they put into supporting the Service, and in particular, the number of hours they are willing to contribute.'' Those hours are likely to be spent pursuing a surprisingly varied list of duties where volunteers may find themselves on crime patrol, working with the Cycle Squad, Marine Section, policing Court Street, or dealing with domestic disputes.

"With these much wider duties, it was imperative that training had to be improved. It had, unfortunately, been somewhat neglected but an injection of goodwill, especially by Ch. Insp. Bridgeman and Ch. Insp. Jonathan Smith, led to an urgent review of their requirements. That investigation revealed some unacceptable gaps in the training that was being offered.'' With improved training (including specialised training in such fields as driving, computers, or even diving for the Marine Section) now in place, Ch.

Insp. Bridgeman says that morale is once again "very high'' in the Reserves.

Police Reserves Commandant John Moore believes there are several reasons why this has not always been the case.

"When I took over, we had about 135 members, quite a few of whom served in name only! So we formed a mangement committee of four senior Reserve officers and interviewed every member -- I can tell you that we don't have that problem today!'' He also feels that until recently, when training was upgraded and Reserve officers were given basically the same uniform as regular officers, there was a wide rift between the two groups, with some resentments on both sides. "I think there was a definite feeling of `them' and `us'. I'm happy to say it's no longer like that -- it's `we'!'' Ironically, it is more than likely that changing community values have also helped pull the two groups together.

"In the past,'' explains Mr. Moore, "the public perception of the Reserves was of people in grey uniforms on traffic duty. That role has now changed quite considerably, due to the lifestyles that some people here are unfortunately now leading. When I joined the Reserves 25 years ago, we did eight hours a month in the division of our choice and that was that -- basically standing on street corners!'' Nowadays, however, Mr. Moore points out the Reserves are fully trained in many different aspects of policing so that they can work as an integral team, alongside regular officers.

Ch. Insp. Bridgeman agrees. "Reserves are now indispensable! Almost all regular police officers would be the first to say that we can't do without them. We have Reserves who regularly volunteer to work from midnight to 8 a.m.

-- which shows the love they have for the job.'' Reserve Police get new building From Page 13 He says that training has been accelerated to the point where Reserves can operate more or less independently. "They have been involved in some very nasty incidents and have really proven their worth. I would say they are now very well integrated with the rest of the Service.'' One thing that Mr. Moore can promise prospective Reserve members is that duties are rarely, if ever, boring. "In fact, when you get a call on the radio, you don't know what you're letting yourself in for until you get there! It may be that you are the first on the scene and it may turn out to be a major incident. We had a case a few months ago where one of our members was on the receiving end of a brick and when I went to visit him in hospital he said, `What is going on? Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine that anything like this could happen to me.' We talked with him and he was given some counselling. He's one of our best officers.'' Ch. Insp. Bridgeman, who has a degree in psychology and was in the first group of Police officers recruited from Barbados 29 years ago, attends all executive meetings of the Reserves. He acts as advisor on policies and points of law that affect the Reserves, and also oversees relevant administrative duties.

"All applicants are well vetted. You have to be British, or a Commonwealth citizen with no criminal record (apart from speeding offences). We look into educational background and health. After a year's probation, we ask for three years service, but most people stay until retirement. Supt. Vickers, for example, has 35 years service!'' Although in the past, some Reservists tended to appear only when the group was embodied by Government (i.e. for elections, natural disasters or national emergencies) for which a "bounty'' is paid, joining the Reserves is hardly a way of getting rich quick. A Reservist has to serve at least 113 hours (75 percent) of the 150 hours required each year. Some officers serve somewhere between 500 and 700 hours, but receive no more payment than the person who works the minimum time.

"We are talking $1,700 a year to $3,000 maximum, depending on your rating.

It's really just a way of saying thank you,'' explains Canadian-born Mr.

Moore, an ex-merchant navy man, who came here 29 years ago. "In my case, not being a born-Bermudian, I saw the Reserves as a way of giving back something to the community that adopted me. It is a service organisation, and we deliver a service to the community, like any other service organisation.'' As he outlines the history of the Reserves, Mr. Moore reflects that both events and general perceptions have, to some extent, dictated the course followed by the organisation.

"The Reserves were formed back in the 1940s, when the Police, for the most part, were expatriates. It was thought that having a reserve constabulary, made up mainly of Bermudians, would assist the Police and also keep a balance between Bermudians and non-Bermudians. During the war, they had a Bermuda Special Constabulary, which wore a very basic uniform and did the sort of things that air-raid wardens were doing in the UK -- enforcing blackouts and so on. They assisted the Regiment as well as the Police. In the early '50s the officers of the Bermuda Reserve Constabulary were mostly ex-policemen or ex-military, and the sergeants and constables were mainly blue-collar Bermudians, both black and white.'' He points out that back in the early days of the Reserves, it was a deliberate choice to have different uniforms from the regular Police.

"In those days, they served as something of a buffer between the expats and the Bermudians. But times have changed -- rather dramatically -- because the grey uniform in itself became a target for abuse! So we decided to go along with our counterparts in the UK and Canada and adopt similar uniforms to the regulars. They are now identical, in fact, apart from the shoulder flashes.

Another big change was dropping the name `constabulary' and re-naming the organisation the Bermuda Reserve Police Service.'' Ch. Insp. Bridgeman says he or Mr. Moore would like to hear from anyone who is interested in becoming a Police Reserve Officer: "We accept 40 applicants a year and two basic training courses are held, in April and September. We don't accept anyone who is serving in the Regiment or Fire Service. Reserves are expected to attend Mondays to Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 p.m. and all employers have to be informed, as occasions will arise when employees have to be released for Reserve duties. Most employers are very understanding about this.

I think everyone who joins the Reserves finds it a very rewarding experience.'' As Mr. Moore points out, "This organisation provides a unique hands-on chance of making a difference in your community.''