Amidst last week's round of farewell parties, receptions and gift presentations from colleagues and friends, Commissioner Colin Coxall and his wife Shirley gave a joint interview to The Royal Gazette .

Mr. Coxall, who came to Bermuda after a brilliant career in which he rose to the highest ranks of the British Police Service, was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1993.

Over nearly 40 years he has headed various departments, including command of the Organised Crimes Section and Narcotics at New Scotland Yard .

Mr. Coxall's sudden and controversial resignation came some six months before his three-year term as head of the Bermuda Police Service was due to end.

Declining to comment on the nature of the events that led to that decision (referred to by the Coxalls simply as "the crisis''), Mr. Coxall reiterated that "the pressures became such that I simply had to resign.

"My background is that of a British Chief Officer of Police and those are the standards I have been trained and required to maintain at all times. I can tell you,'' he added, "that we were both shocked and deeply hurt by what has happened to us -- but life goes on! We are perhaps fortunate that we can go home and start a new life.

"We are aware that most people in Bermuda do not have that alternative and that many of our friends here are deeply concerned about their future and the future of Bermuda.'' Admitting they felt sad to be leaving their friends behind, Mr. Coxall said, "We've been fortunate to make some really wonderful friends during our two and a half years here.

"We've been overwhelmed with letters of support and we have both been very touched by the number of people whom we don't even know, coming up to us in the street to shake our hands and tell us how dismayed and sorry they are to see us go.'' Unlike her husband, Mrs. Coxall has led a comparatively low-key existence during her time in Bermuda. Much of that time has been spent working as a decidedly hands-on volunteer with some of the Island's less glamorous charities -- including Parent Awareness Resources for Educating, Nurturing and Training Skills (PARENTS), and with The Family Learning Centre.

There, she has helped children with language difficulties, teaching those who, for one reason or another, have `fallen through the cracks', to read and write.

Both of them were soon involved in the arts community, with Mrs. Coxall working a half day each week at the National Gallery and as a volunteer with the Bermuda Society of Arts, "stuffing envelopes'', preparing and serving refreshments at art show openings and "helping out'' in the office.

Few offices in Bermuda can have boasted a more competent, if modest, helper: for, back in England, Mrs. Coxall's life had been far from low-key, working, as she had, at the very heart of British political life, as private secretary to a succession of British Cabinet ministers including Cecil Parkinson, Michael Portillo and John Redwood.

"Oh yes,'' she commented with a faintly ironic smile, "We both gave up highly prestigious jobs to come here. But I must say I've enjoyed doing volunteer work and the `touristy' things like going everywhere on the bus.

I've never had a car here. I've always used the bus -- it's a wonderful way to meet people!'' Noting that much of her husband's leisure time turned out to be duty-related, Mrs. Coxall explained that "especially in the beginning, when he was doing his `strategy' for the Service, he was working 12-hour days and weekends for several months.

"We were invited out a lot and Colin was asked to do a lot of public speaking to various groups who wanted to know about the Police Service. So a lot of his time off was spent in presenting the Service in a good light. But he always said he was happy to do it -- he was doing it for the people of Bermuda -- the majority of whom are lovely people.'' "I've really enjoyed the arts scene here, though,'' Mr. Coxall interjected.

"I was invited to open two art shows and I borrowed the Society of Arts' Contemporary Collection for my office, where it's been admired by a great many people.

"And, of course, I've tried to support as many Police teams as possible, encouraging the staff to keep fit! The Marine Police also taught me how to dive and I've been out a few times with them.'' Conceding it had been "a strain'' when, a few months after arriving, threats were made against her husband's life, Mrs. Coxall said, "I was not frightened for myself but it was very bad for Colin. At one stage, he was being guarded 14 hours round. It was very restrictive! At one point, the guards were accompanying me to the supermarket.'' "I should point out,'' said Mr. Coxall, "that security matters were handled by Mr. Mylod (former Deputy Commissioner) and as such, I had no part in the arrangements. We were just given instructions as to what we could and couldn't do. Actually,'' he reflected.

"It was worse than dealing with the IRA in London when they were attacking London's financial centre and I was Deputy Commissioner of the City of London Police. At least the IRA wasn't being personal about it! We knew they just wanted to blow everything up.

"We were living in the line of fire then, as we had an apartment in the City.

Three bombs went off within a few hundred yards of our place. But what happened in Bermuda was insidious and seedy. That's much harder to deal with.'' "We certainly gave up a lot to come here,'' mused Mrs. Coxall. "Colin had a chauffeur-driven Jaguar car and we lived in a superb, four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment overlooking St. Paul's Cathedral, supplied free of charge by the Corporation of London. But Colin was persuaded to come here and, in many ways, we have enjoyed the experience. We are just sorry at the shabby way in which it all ended.'' After a pause, she added, "What was so hurtful for me was that there was such a blatant lack of support from the Government and the Governor when all this happened.

"After Lord Waddington left, and when the crisis came up, all the support for Colin from the Government and the Governor just evaporated. I felt so upset for him, after all he had done. My feeling was that if they couldn't support him in carrying out his job and his duties, then it was certainly time to leave.'' As Mrs. Coxall saw it, "The really strange thing was that, during the weeks immediately before the crisis, both the Minister and the Governor had been begging him to stay on and serve a second term.

"I remember one occasion in particular, at a function at Camden, when the Minister spent most of the evening trying to persuade me to persuade Colin to agree to stay on! I, personally, was very reluctant to agree to that, because I knew the strain he had been under in Bermuda.'' The Coxalls, who have been married for 35 years and are awaiting the birth of their first 9 grandchild "any time now'', are not sure what the future holds.

"I was very involved in the high-tech aspects of policing,'' said Mr. Coxall, "so I may look around for possible consultancy roles in that area. I applied that knowledge throughout the UK and overseas -- where I worked with many different Police Departments in both Narcotics and International Organised Crime, so it would make sense to use my experience in that area.'' "We have been made very welcome here and shall be sad to leave this beautiful island,'' concluded Mrs. Coxall. "But the stress all of this has caused Colin has been too much to bear. It's hard to believe it's ended like this, but now we have to get on with the rest of our lives.'' Asked if he had any final thoughts on the future of Bermuda, Mr. Coxall replied: "Only this: It is of the utmost importance that this Island has a sound, effective Police Service. If the Police Service were to fail, the economy of Bermuda would also be sure to fail.

"It is absolutely vital that a sophisticated country like Bermuda -- which is now part of the global community and part of the global economy -- has a Police leadership to match, which is of an internationally recognised calibre.''