The man who is to head today's serious crimes commission has promised a thorough and full report and believes it will be of use to Bermuda.

Stanley Moore, currently a member of the Bahamas Supreme Court, said he felt the commission would have a full plate with a mid-September shut-off date.

Mr. Justice Moore, a Guyanese lawyer, has already said he hoped for widespread participation from the community into the inquiry.

"I think that as many people that have a relevant interest should write a memorandum or appear before the panel,'' Mr. Justice Moore said. "Let me say the terms of reference of the commission are that it is to produce a report to His Excellency the Governor by the middle of September.

"Because we have that cut-off point,'' he continued, "we will have to work fairly quickly, if not with some urgency. A lot of that depends on how much material and how much input we get.

"When I meet with the other commissioners we will be better able to gauge it and have a better picture of how much is involved.'' Mr. Justice Moore's daughter Susan is the legal counsel to the Women's Resource Centre and is married to a Bermudian, Sinclair Alan Williams.

In May he called his daughter to the Bar, sitting next to his long-time friend, Chief Justice Austin Ward.

When asked whether the report would join others as forgotten parts of Bermuda's history, Mr. Justice Moore said: "I would hesitate to answer that off the cuff.

"That is a relevant complaint about these things,'' he continued. "They do provide useful material and background material. And while sometimes there are no overt and direct results, they (reports) do get acted upon.

"Even though it might not happen immediately,'' Mr. Justice Moore added.

"I think I can speak for the other commissioners in that we would like to produce a good document that would be beneficial and useful and the kind of document that those who have called for it are looking for.'' Mr. Justice Moore said he approved of last year's move to separate criminal prosecution and the Government's civil sides, into the Public Prosecution Department (DPP) and Attorney General's Chambers.

"I think it is a good move, yes,'' he said. "In most countries, certainly the UK and other Commonwealth countries, there is a DPP or Crown Prosecution office.

"It allows specialisation in dealing with criminal matters. It allows a degree of specialisation. That's a personal view and I would have thought it is a good development.'' Mr. Justice Moore added: "I look forward to coming back to Bermuda and working on this commission.

"I'm alive to the importance of the Press in a democracy to provide accurate information and the Press should be assisted in every way to bring the facts to the public and inform the community.''