Violence which marred the beginning of this year's Bermuda Regiment recruit camp on Sunday was unacceptable and completely against what the Regiment stands for, Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Eddie Lamb said yesterday.

Nevertheless, discipline - sorely lacking in Bermuda - can sometimes be harsh and unpleasant, a Regiment Press release added.

A photograph of a Regimental Policeman (RP) sending a new recruit flying face first to the ground was pictured on the front page of The Royal Gazette yesterday, sparking outrage.

What the cameras did not show was the recruit swearing and cursing the officer while disobeying orders just prior to what Lt. Col. Lamb called the “nudge”.

Footage of a second recruit, also late for boot camp and also disobeying an order, was also aired. That recruit was similarly shoved by the same RP. He lost his balance and also fell to the ground.

“We asked the cameraman not to show that because we knew it would be taken out of context,” Lt. Col. Lamb said yesterday.

“That is not something we condone,” he said. “I am not defending the Regimental Police officer. Both recruits were late, and both refused an order. But I am not saying for a minute that this is acceptable.”

Regiment officers do grab and push along any boot camp latecomers, Lt. Col. Lamb said. “It is designed to give them a sharp shock for being tardy. Unfortunately, this time the force resulted in the recruit falling down.

“I don't want people, mothers, sisters, grandmothers, to think we are up there manhandling people and abusing people. In fact, that goes against the Regiment standing orders.”

He said that each time the officer immediately went to the recruit and helped them to their feet, “then gently nudged them along”. The force with which the recruits fell was also mitigated by the weight of the packs they were carrying, he said.

The officer, he added, has been interviewed by his superiors. “However, there was nothing that warranted any serious action,” Lt. Col. Lamb said.

“It was not intentional, and there was no malice intended. There was no further action required other than the Regimental Sergeant having words with all the Regimental Police.”

A Regiment Press release echoed these statements.

“The Regiment is about building people up and building character, not kicking them down or kicking them when they are down,” the statement, released late yesterday, said.

“In order for the Regiment to transform the raw recruits into proud, alert, effective soldiers, we must instil discipline (something that is sorely lacking in this country), and sometimes this process becomes unpleasant, even harsh.

“However, we do not want to make this the focus of the two-week experience and nor will those images define Recruit Camp 2005.”

The theme for this year's camp is “A Better Man; A Better Bermuda”. The first two days of boot camp have gone well, Col. Lamb said. “The two recruits are now among their teammates, their platoons, and cracking on with business.

“I have talked with dozens of the soldiers already, and for the most part they are thoroughly enjoying themselves. The weather has also been kind.

“It is unfortunate that the media and the public have latched on to that aspect,” he said. “It didn't look pretty on the news and it was not pretty. But that is not what the Regiment is all about.”

• The Regiment invited members of the public to witness the results of boot camp at an open house at Warwick Camp starting at 2 p.m. on January 22.