If you fancy fighting crime for a starting salary of $51,000 a year, then the Bermuda Police Service is the organisation for you.

This was the message of Chief Insp. Michael Jackman at a Press conference on Tuesday, where he called on Bermudians between the ages of 19 and 49 to come and join a ?vibrant organisation? and contribute to the community.

15 local applicants have already been approved for the Police training course which begins in March, and Chief Insp. Jackman is now striving to attract further numbers for the second intake in August.

?Through resignations, retirements and the like, we look to take on between 20 and 30 new officers every year,? he said.

?The preference is obviously to get as many Bermudians as possible to join ? so if you believe you have what it takes to become a Police officer and you want to give back to the community, then I would urge you to fill out an application.?

Chief Insp. Jackman stressed both male and female applicants would be welcomed, as would spouses of Bermudians or those who hold residency permits.

?We offer an extremely attractive benefit package which is exclusive of the opportunity to earn overtime,? he said.

?And there are plenty of opportunities for advancement through the ranks and for specialised training. We?re looking at the full range of the market, from those just leaving college to more mature candidates. In fact, I would go so far as to say the majority of the successful candidates for the March course are over 30. This is encouraging for us in that people have obviously decided they want a change of direction in their career and policing is an attractive option.?

The deadline for the August intake is February 28, with application forms available from all Police stations and the training centre at Prospect.

Chief Insp. Jackman saidthose who miss the deadline need not despair.

?Recruitment is an ongoing process for us,? he explained.

?If you miss the deadline, you can still submit an application for consideration in the next intake.?