Like the 1930s, the 1960s promised to be a golden era for Bermuda.

The economy was doing well and tourism was booming. At the start of the decade, Bermuda was attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually. The Police accepted Government’s invitation to relocate the Force’s headquarters to the now vacant British garrison facilities at Prospect in 1958 and successive commissioners sought to put the Police on an equal footage to similar organisations abroad.

It might seem absurd now, but back in 1960 the Bermuda Police Force had neither female officers nor a marine section; to state the obvious, half the population was female and the Island was surrounded by water!

In 1961 the Police Women’s Department was established under the command of woman Inspector Isabella Lee and woman Sergeant Rose Neville, both of whom were recruited from the United Kingdom. Three local women soon joined them, one of whom was Jean Vickers (née Mathis). She had the distinction of being the first Bermudian woman to join the Police Force.

The Narcotics Department was also created that year. It was initially staffed by just two officers, Detective Inspector Leon Bean and Detective Constable Harold Moniz. Two years later, in 1963, narcotic officers recorded their first arrests and convictions of individuals for the possession of marijuana.

Do-It-Yourself

At the start of the ’60s, there was no spare money in the budget to buy even one boat for a fledgling Marine Section, so two enterprising Constables, Derek Jenkinson and Dave Garland (with the Commissioner’s backing of course), set about making one!

The Corporation of Hamilton generously supplied the materials and the Department of Marine and Ports provided the engines. In 1962 the Blue Heron was launched and the Police Marine Section was born. Today this section of the Service has a fleet of six multi-purpose vessels.

New Training Facility

The Police Training School was established in 1962 and that same year the Force conducted its first ever, local 13-week basic training course.

Other notable milestones at this time included the creation of the Police Association to act as a voice for the rank and file, and the establishment of the Criminal Records Office, Cycle Squad and Special Branch. Also, after an absence of several years, Parish Constables were reintroduced and they were provided with scooters to police their districts. Meanwhile, on the social front, the Police Force became one of the leading organisations to bring down the racial barriers which still existed in Bermuda at that time. The Police Recreation Club was one of the first to organise biracial social functions and activities.

The Belco Riot

Despite all the progress made, events turned decidedly nasty in February 1965. After what began as a purely internal dispute between Belco management and staff demanding union recognition, police were ordered to the complex to maintain peace and order. However, rioting broke out, as a consequence of which, 17 police officers and one rioter needed medical attention. Constable Gerard Ian Davies was so badly injured during the riot that he had to be invalided out of the Force. His father later presented a soccer trophy to the BFA to be played for annually; it was ironically named the “Friendship Trophy”.

Racial Imbalance

The racial imbalance of the Force had been a matter of concern since it was established in 1879. At the time of the Belco riot, the percentage of white expatriate serving officers greatly outnumbered the black Bermudian officers.

In late 1965, in an attempt to redress this uneven racial balance, senior personnel travelled to Barbados specifically to recruit black officers.Seven Barbadians were subsequently appointed to join six Bermudians on basic training course number seven.

First Gymkhana

At the close of the 1960s it was estimated that 20 per cent of the Police Force was then involved, one way or another, in the voluntary promotion of youth activities. A good deal of that activity was then channelled into launching the first ever police pedal cycle gymkhana in 1969, an event, which attracted over 400 schoolchildren.

The police still arrange gymkhanas from time to time, and they always prove to be popular, and an excellent means to promote better understanding and respect between the Police and the public. The Island’s darkest days in the 1970s lay ahead, but there were also major successes and significant initiatives still to come.

• The History of Policing In Bermuda covers the period 1620 to 2014. It will be available through Bookmart at Brown & Company, and other distributors.