Yugoslav Army henchmen this summer said yesterday he thought his dream of working in Bermuda had vanished.

P.c. John Yore arrived on the Island on Tuesday night and is expected to begin pounding the streets in three weeks.

He made headlines around the world in August when he, fellow British officer Det. Sgt. Adrian Prangnell and two Canadian civilians were arrested by Yugoslav soldiers on the border between Montenegro and Kosovo, and charged with spying.

He was beaten, starved, deprived of food and paraded as a spy on state television by former Yugoslav tyrant Slobodon Milosevic's soldiers.

P.c. Yore, 31, told The Royal Gazette yesterday that he was informed he had got the job in Bermuda ten days before his arrest.

He went through the torment of reading a glossy brochure about the Island and the annual Police Report -- provided by the Foreign Office -- in his Belgrade cell.

"I started reading this stuff thinking `Am I ever going to get there?' It was a bit of a tantaliser. I was thinking `Am I looking at a dream going out the window?''' he told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

P.c. Yore, a member of the Cambridge Constabulary, and the three others were eventually released in October after 67 days in captivity.

Belgrade to Bermuda He had been working in Kosovo to train Police officers after the war in the region as part of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation In Europe.

"I was coming towards the end of my tour of duty and this was to be my next challenge and all of a sudden it looked as though it was going to go down the pan,'' he continued. "Now I'm here, I feel relief and excitement. There were many times I thought I would never get here.'' On Tuesday, just as he was leaving, he found out his girlfriend Mel Symondson, a civilian crime analyst, has secured a job on the Island, subject to clearance from Immigration.

Now he is looking forward to scuba diving, playing rugby and possibly being reunited with his girlfriend.

"I'm starting to get a feel for the place. I've been to St. George's to get my uniform and into Hamilton a few times. It is amazingly clean, there is wonderful fresh air, and the people are very friendly.'' P.c. Yore, who is on a three year contract, said he had always wanted to work in Bermuda and applied earlier this year when the Island advertised overseas because of the shortage of officers.

"I like working overseas. This is the type of perfect Policeman's environment. I get to practise a profession I like doing and work in paradise.

It's the best of both worlds.

"Now I want to get on with the job, hopefully have a successful time here and have an experience I can take away with me.'' He said his ordeal in Belgrade "reinforces strength of character and the ability to cope''.

"I never did it before, but I didn't stereotype the Yugoslav population as thugs and murderers. Early on when we got through to the Press, I said make sure you blame the people responsible, not the ordinary people. I don't have a grudge against the Yugoslav people, but I'm not happy about some of the others!'' The main thing he will miss is his friends and family, although having worked in the Balkans, he enjoys the experience of living in foreign countries.

Referring to the possibility his girlfriend will join him, he said: "If she does, its good for her. We are both people that like to travel and do our own thing, and its important she does what she wants to do.

"I want to have three successful year here, that's the most important thing, but I want to get match-fit to play rugby. I've already been appraoched to play for the Police.

"My main hobby is scuba diving, so I want to do as much of that as I can.''