By Paul Egan A senior Bermuda Police officer spoke out yesterday against Government's decision to hire two top officers from abroad.

"I don't think we need someone to come here and tell us how to suck an egg,'' Supt. Larry Smith told The Royal Gazette .

Among top Police brass, "it is something that has been discussed almost on a daily basis since the announcement'', Supt.

Smith said of a decision to bring in a new Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner from Britain.

But to date, "I have not talked to anyone on a formal basis'', he said.

Asked if he planned to pursue the matter, Supt. Smith said: "I think I need to be non-committal at this stage.'' He declined further comment. "Government has made a decision, and it's for Government and the Opposition to try to resolve.

"We have to just stay around,'' Supt. Smith said. "In the interests of the Bermuda Police Service, we have to pull together and make the Bermuda Police Service work.'' Two other senior officers seen as potential successors to retiring Commissioner Mr. Lennett (Lennie) Edwards -- Assistant Commissioner Wayne Perinchief and Assistant Commissioner Harold Moniz -- did not return telephone calls yesterday.

No representations from top Police officers have been made to Governor Lord Waddington. It is understood the matter was not raised on Monday when the Governor attended the Annual Sherry Party at Prospect hosted by Acting Commissioner Alex Forbes and attended by senior officers.

In mid-December, Government announced that a Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner would be brought to Bermuda from abroad. The statement said the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner would be hired for two and three years respectively. But that was an error, a spokesman said yesterday.

Instead, the Commissioner will be brought in for three years and the Deputy Commissioner for two. It is likely that a Bermudian Deputy Commissioner would be named to succeed the departing Briton in two years, and would then rise to the Commissioner's post one year later. Government said the decision to "break with tradition'' and hire from abroad was forced by the sudden retirement due to illness of Bermudian Police Commissioner Mr. Lennett (Lennie) Edwards.

Mr. Edwards had been expected to stay on another two years, but will be officially retiring on March 1, at the same time as the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Alex Forbes. A short list of applicants has been made and the top officers are expected to be on the job in March at the earliest.

The hiring from overseas is to be accompanied by "a broadening'' of the senior command establishment that will see a third Assistant Commissioner named. Yesterday, Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman said funds had to be approved for that position and it would have to wait until after the Budget was approved in March.

Any of the force's five Superintendents -- Alan Bissell, Vic Richmond, George Rose, Campbell Simons, and Larry Smith -- could be in line for that post.