Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith came out in full support yesterday of the Supreme Court?s conviction and sentencing of a former Policeman who sexually assaulted three young boys while employed by the Bermuda Police Service.

At a Press conference yesterday, Mr. Smith called convicted sex offender John Malcolm White a ?rogue officer? who will now be held fully accountable for his actions.

Mr. Smith told that, if there are other victims of White, they will have the opportunity to come forward, press charges and have their complaints dealt with through the courts.

And, one of the BPS? top Inspectors ? Peter Giles ? said the Police are now meeting with Government officials with the aim of finding methods to better address, control and deter the behaviour of sex offenders.

?The law is rather loose right now ? the Government is looking at ways to tighten this up ? hopefully the controls will be beneficial to prevent other crimes from being committed,? said Insp. Giles.

Although he would not comment on the specifics of previous allegations against White, which surfaced in 1992, Mr. Smith said prior investigations were conducted by the Public Services Commission.

?It?s not appropriate for me to comment on the prior finding of the Public Service Commission,? he said. But former Police officers previously told that two boys made allegations of sexual assault against White in 1992 which were investigated by the Police Service and led to his re-assignment.

Former officers said White?s ?fascination? with young boys was well known in the force but officers were told to keep it quiet.

Mr. Smith, who was not the Commissioner of Police when the allegations surfaced in 1992, said White was suspended as soon as he took over the top position at the Police Service.

Yesterday, Mr. Smith said he would personally extend support to the victims and their families to help them deal with their suffering. ?I want to express my full support for the victims,? he said.

?They have shown a tremendous amount of courage by coming forward in the first place and they have then had to relive the events by providing testimony to the courts.

?I think they can take some solace now by knowing that their accounts were believed. They were found to be true and I sincerely hope, that for all the victims, the outcome will be a building block for them, with the help of their family and friends.

?I hope this will provide closure for them as this is an important element in dealing with such trauma.?

He added: ?A couple of messages come out very clearly ? the law is there to protect children.

?Those who violate trust and those who violate an oath to serve and protect the community can expect the court to exercise its full powers.

?The Bermuda Police Service in no way associates itself with the conduct of one of our former officers. These acts offended the service and what we, as an organisation, fully stand for.?

He said the Police Service is monitored very closely, particularly new candidates.

?Not even Police Services are fully immune to the criminal conduct of those among us,? said Mr. Smith. ?We try to be very thorough in our vetting procedures and we take a close look at our candidates, as we have done for a number of years.?

Insp. Giles, who presided over the investigation through the Juvenile Domestic Crime Unit, said the law could be tightened up to protect child victims, an issue he said Government was continuing to address.

He said the JDC Unit is also working closely with community organisations to combat child abuse.

?I believe we are building a formidable team,? he said. ?Any person who endeavours to abuse a child will face a team that will investigate and prosecute when necessary.?