Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith has said the force is hoping to keep foreign officers beyond their three-year contracts to keep numbers up.

However Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister said the bid to keep its current foreigner contingent would be a last resort.

He said: "What could happen is as we seek to renegotiate with services elsewhere to get new people they might invite us to keep the people we have already."

On Friday Government said projections showed up to 105 officers would be leaving between now and August 2004 so it had given approval to recruit again overseas.

Government would not take a short term view and attempt to keep officers if it risked jeopardising relationships with overseas forces, said Mr. Lister.

He said the the starting point was looking for new individuals familiar with current technology, training and techniques.

Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said there were around 36 foreign officers of the batch of 41 which came on three-year secondments in 2000 and 2001.

Delicate negotiations will now begin with their home forces to entice some to stay said Mr. Smith.

He said: "Negotiations will be done on a case by case basis. It requires a lot of consultation with their home commissioners.

"We are going to examine whether it's possible."

However Mr. Smith said there was still time to get new officers in without seriously depleting numbers because the first of the foreign officers were not due to leave until next summer. The rest were all due to leave by August 2004.

He said the force would also start interviewing overseas officers to find likely candidates to bring out.

Mr. Smith said the force need approximately 36 new officers a year to sustain operations and maintain the force's roster of 436 officers.

"If local recruitment falls short at least we have permission to recruit overseas."

However Mr. Smith is still keen to recruit locals and has set up a recruitment committee to examine ways to entice Bermudians.

Opposition Home Affairs spokeswoman Patricia Gordon-Pamplin attacked Government for dragging its feet over recruiting from overseas.

She said: "It's again very typical of the lack of planning because we knew for a long time that contracts were coming to an end.

"They should have a more structured approach to ensure the police department is fully staffed and not wait until there's low morale amongst the police and fear of a shortage of numbers.

"The shortage of numbers before they have another knee jerk reaction.

"It speaks to the lack of planning we have had from Government as a matter of course."