A former top UK policeman who is paving the way for radical reforms to policing in Bermuda has said the changes will boost public confidence in the service.

Mark Crampton said the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) will put officers through a cultural change, but the result will be ?a far slicker system?.

The legislation ? enacted in the UK in 1984 ? will replace the antiquated Judge?s Rules which currently govern the way the Bermuda Police Service operates. It will modernise arrest and detention procedures, the searching of people and properties and questioning suspects.

?The Judge?s Rules are very much out of touch reality in policing terms. From my personal view, PACE out of all the pieces of legislation was the most revolutionary in the 30 years I was in the Police service,? said the 48-year-old former Chief Inspector.

?It?s helped England to become very professional and obviously Bermuda are trying to reflect that improvement into modern-day policing. I?m hoping that the public confidence in the Police will increase. This is a very positive step and I?m hoping that it will reassure the community.?

The PACE legislation was passed by Parliament in December, and Mr. Crampton anticipates that it will be introduced in stages with the majority brought in next year. Formerly with the Hertfordshire police service near London, he arrived in March on a two-year contract as a consultant charged with implementing PACE.

During the House of Assembly debate on the new legislation, Government and Opposition MPs alike questioned whether Bermuda Police Service was ready to cope. Minister of National Drug Control Wayne Perinchief, a former top Police officer, commented that officers like himself who had operated in the days when policing was like the ?Wild Wild West? would be considered ?dangerous dinosaurs? once PACE is implemented.

Asked about these concerns, Mr. Crampton said: ?There?s a substantial training requirement because it?s quite a cultural change from how we are doing policing at the moment. All officers of all ranks will find it hard to adapt and there will be some who find it harder than others but we are working out a stringent and appropriate training strategy to make sure everybody is comfortable.?

He added: ?I?ve not come across resistance. I?m very optimistic that those in the Bermuda Police Service are open and willing to implement this change.?

Mr. Crampton said the substantial number of British cops already working in Bermuda is an advantage, as they are already PACE trained although there may be a need to bring some trainers over from the UK.

Other MPs speaking during the PACE debate cited concerns that inadequate Police resources - particularly the dilapidated Hamilton Police Station ? may thwart the roll-out of PACE.

Mr. Crampton said: ?Some of the accommodation that?s presently available for detaining prisoners will require some form of upgrading certainly to comply with PACE but I?m very pleased that the new Southside Police Station is to be opened shortly and that?s very much PACE-compliant. There is to be some improvement in custody and detention facilities ? that?s part of it and will impact slightly.?

Among the biggest plus-points of the new rules, he said, are that they are designed to promote fairness and openness in the way the service deals with people. Officers who stop and search suspects will be required to prepare a search record stating why the search was conducted ? and give the person a copy. Those kept in custody will also be entitled to a copy of their custody record.

Mr. Crampton acknowledged that there will be an additional burden of paperwork for officers ? but denied that this would mean less time for front-line duties as a new custody IT system will replace forms and registers, thus saving time.

Suspects are also likely to find themselves spending less time in the cells thanks to the tough new rules that place the onus on efficient Police work.

?The PACE clock starts ticking when the person comes into the Police station. Generally, the Police will only have 24 hours in which to carry out the investigation. They must then charge or release or bail. That?s different from the existing Judge?s Rules where there are effectively no time limits.

?At the moment, on occasion persons are kept in custody for several days, but that won?t be permissible under the PACE. Police will have to be quicker and more methodical and diligent in carrying out their investigations,? he explained.

Even traditional identification parades will be given a modern twist under the new rules, which will see ?video parades?. This will use computer technology to throw up library images from a database of volunteers alongside a clip of the suspect and means the procedure can be taken out of the police station and bring the identification parade to the victim.

Mr. Crampton said he met Attorney General Larry Mussenden earlier this month to plan the transition and has met with agencies such as Court Services and Customs, to keep them updated. However, the process may not be speedy.

?We need to make sure we are fully trained and up-to-speed before I can advise the Government on the implementation date because we?ve got to be in a state of readiness.

?I?d much prefer us to be a little late and be at a stage where we are fully prepared to carry it forward positively, giving officers the right skills to do the job,? he said.