yesterday revealed they had made more than 60 recommendations for improvement - 42 of them regarding the Police.

After the six-week inquiry into the handling of crime finally came to an end last night, the 80-page findings were presented to Deputy Governor Tim Gurney.

In it, there was more than 40 suggestions for ways to improve the Police service, which will be the responsibility of Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay.

There were 15 recommendations aimed at the Department of Public Prosecutions, and five or six suggestions have been made with regards legislation for Attorney General Dame Lois Browne-Evans to look at.

Governor Thorold Masefield will return from vacation next week and study the report. It is then his intention to release the findings to the public and media.

Yesterday, Mr. Gurney said he and the Governor would do everything in their power to ensure the recommendations were considered carefully and then implemented, rather than ignored, as has been claimed in the past.

He said: "I can't really answer for inquiries in the past because I wasn't here, but I can assure you that we will do our best to implement everything in this one.'' The public inquiry was called following an outcry over the botched investigation and prosecution of the murder of Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton in July 1996.

Despite Police still openly claiming to have caught the two men responsible for her death, nobody was convicted for her murder.

Justis Smith was acquitted after Puisne Judge Vincent Meerabux deemed there to be insufficient evidence for his murder trial to go to the jury.

Commission hands in its findings That decision was later labelled "astonishing'' by the Privy Council.

Kirk Mundy received just five years after being charged with the lesser offence of accessory after the fact after he blamed the murder on his friend.

During the inquiry, it came to light that Police offered him the lesser charge of accessory on the basis of his statement alone.

However, DNA tests later showed that he had probably played a major role in her death, and that two people had been involved - one to hold her down, while the other inflicted torture wounds with a knife.

Governor Masefield ordered the inquiry look into the handling of all serious offences on the Island, not the Middleton murder alone, and, as a result, a number of issues have arisen.

It came to light that there was little or no facilities to cater for the needs of sex abuse victims on the Island.

Police were accused of operating an armchair policy, relying heavily on confessions and being too quick to offer deals to suspects.

Some witnesses, including DPP Mr. Tokunbo, said some officers were a law unto themselves, refusing to do as they were told by superiors.

And poor legislation puts Bermuda five or six years behind the UK in its ability to tackle crime, including poor use of fingerprints and DNA.

Many of these issues will have been tackled by the commissioners in their report, who have worked around the clock during the last few weeks to meet yesterday's deadline.

Chairman of the commission, Justice Stanley Moore thanked everyone who gave evidence and assisted the panel's work, especially the victims of crime and their families.

And he said the commissioners had been honest in making recommendations where they saw fit, but had tried to avoid pointing the finger of blame at anyone.

However, he did say they had made it clear where mistakes had been made in the past and how they should be avoided in the future.

And he said he personally wrote a letter to the solicitor of Rebecca's father, Dave Middleton, informing him of their work on the Island.

He added: "We have enjoyed doing our work. We hope that this report will answer some questions.

"We have attempted to say how things should have been done and what had been done, and more importantly how things should be done in the future.'' Fellow commissioner Don Dovaston, who is a former British Deputy Chief Constable, said he hoped the report would eventually lead to more modern legislation and better treatment of victims.

He added: "There are some very important recommendations for the future investigation of serious crimes in Bermuda and the care of all people across the Island. A particular emphasis has been made in relation to the care and treatment of victims and their families.

"From my perspective, it's been a very challenging time here.

"But I think we have been able to draw and tease out all of the things that were necessary.'' Both Mr. Justice Moore and Mr. Dovaston will return to their home countries today. The third commissioner, Bermudian lawyer Shirley Simmons will return to her work at Trott & Duncan law firm.

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