A senior Police officer said a Mid Ocean News article on the Bermuda Police Force failed to show the full picture of changes taking place in the force.

Superintendent Michael DeSilva, who was responsible for implementing the changes to the force, said: "The article is indeed a skewed account of what has otherwise been a positive change made by the Bermuda Police Service."

The article, which appeared in last Friday's edition of the paper, stated that officers were demoralised by changes which have seen the narcotics and criminal investigations departments reduced to half their size and removed community officers from its roster completely.

Supt. DeSilva said the changes started mid-June and the aim was to better use the limited resources the BPS has at its disposal.

"In short, we are trying to do more with less in a way that does not compromise community safety, operational effectiveness or public confidence," he said. "We believe that we have found a formula that will work, in the form of the Service Realignment and the new uniform shift pattern."

He said the new system has nearly 70 percent of the Island's officers working in the Community Policing Division and added that Community Action Teams (CAT) have been formed in each of the three Police stations.

"CAT teams have responsibility for tackling long-term community issues including the street level drugs trade," he said. "By transferring the role of the former Narcotics Street Enforcement Team to CAT, the current Narcotics Unit, working with its Customs partners, is able to focus more sharply on significant drug importation, trafficking and the confiscation of illegal assets."

Supt. DeSilva said the realignment of the service coincided with a new shift system which will allow there to be overlaps of two watches at various times of the day.

This means more officers will be available at key locations and times such as in Hamilton on Friday and Saturday evenings when there is increased activities around bars and nightclubs.

He added that he was discouraged by the article because it appeared to be the views of a minority of officers.

"It is still early days, and the Commissioner and his command team recognise that there is more work to be done," he said. "Much of the feedback to date from our officers centres around operational logistical issues, including the need for more vehicles. The perennial staff shortage in the BPS is also an issue. Like most agencies, we are constantly balancing competing demands and priorities against a limited number of officers to deploy."

Human Resources Manager Michael Trott also commented on the article which stated that the BPS was terminating good Bermudian officers because they failed an exam.

He said: "The BPS is committed to attracting, training, and retaining suitably qualified Bermudian applicants against an ever expanding global employment market. However, given the shrinking resource pool, the BPS does not — and should not — deviate from its training standards. Where officers fall below the required standard, the BPS provides additional training support in the form of extra tuition and closer monitoring over a period of months."

And he added that any termination is based on recommendations from Divisional Commanders and the Training Centre.