Top cop Jonathan Smith is set to step down as Commissioner before the end of his contract Police sources said last night.

Deputy Governor Nick Carter said he had not heard anything from Mr. Smith who is off the Island and could not be reached for comment. A Police spokesman at first denied media reports that the Police Commissioner would be standing down at the end of the year but later said:"No comment."

However, The Royal Gazette understands Mr. Smith, pictured left, will stand down this year or early next, sparking a battle for the post.

One source said Superintendants Roseanda Jones and Sinclair White were frontrunners. The pair, both in their early 50s, have attended management courses in the UK.

Current Deputy Commissioner George Jackson is also likely to put in a bid for the top post having acted in the role on a number of occasions while Assistant Commissioner Carlton Adams might also be tempted to apply.

However one long-serving officer said he believed the force would look overseas for someone to take over.

Mr. Smith, who is in his late 40s, was appointed to the top job in 2001 and his three-year post was renewed last April.

But sources said it was an open secret that he would not see out his second contract but would seek early retirement and go to study law in Canada, where his sons currently live.