Recent changes in recruitment policy for the Police Service has created a new challenge in getting Bermudians to join.

Head of the Training Department Ch. Insp. Jonathan Smith this week told Hamilton Lions' weekly luncheon that said opportunities abound for promotion in the command structure of the Service.

But he admitted competition from other careers had caused "a shift in the focus of marketing strategies'' to get suitable Bermudian applicants.

Ch. Insp. Smith said: "Opportunities do exist for locals in the Police Service.'' "Our statistics show no shortage of female applicants and that qualified male applicants are rare,'' he continued and described it as the service's biggest challenge.

Only by getting its message out -- through an advertising campaign and an information exposition on March 11 -- would the public get to see that the Service can be a career source, Ch. Insp. Smith said.

He also explained the plan to establish an Accelerated Promotion Scheme in which candidates can get rapid promotion through the ranks, provided they are qualified and educated. "It has proven to be a highly effective way of getting educated individuals into the Service and eventually into command positions,'' Ch. Insp. Smith added.

His office had conducted a comprehensive look at the training scheme in the Service.

The 18-year veteran officer had seen a new Training Strategy 1997 -- 2000 implemented and the recruit training course overhauled.

The half-million-dollar Training Course now emphasised practical policing skills, Intelligence led policing, communication skills and officer safety.

Ch. Insp. Smith said he had received feedback on the December graduates of the revamped recruit course.

The recruits "have been described as highly enthusiastic and highly skilled'', he pointed out.

The Training Department has new links to the Caribbean Regional Drug and Law Enforcement Training Centre in Jamaica.

Narcotics officers also have training links to the Drug Enforcement Agency in the US and plan to forge links with UK authorities.

New legislation on white collar crimes has prompted the Service to send a detective sergeant to the UK for a course and then on to an attachment to Guernsey Police.

Officers moving into the CID will take a rewritten Criminal Investigations course which will thoroughly familiarise them with surveillance and interviewing techniques, crime scenes management, and intelligence led policing, Ch. Insp. Smith said.

The Kent County Constabulary will also send officers to train local officers in new techniques in investigative interviewing.

Ch. Insp. Smith explained that all of the public's expectations regarding the Police Service had implications for training.

Specialised training for the Emergency Response Team, Intelligence Analysts, and child abuse investigators and others will allow officers to contribute to the growth of the Service, he added.

He also said eight officers had been subsidised for the Supervisory Management Programme at the Bermuda College.

And officers wishing assistance for further education will soon be able to take advantage of financial aid and career breaks or sabbaticals.

All of the training will be reinforced by the Service's plan to "create a culture of self-development'', Ch. Insp. Smith stressed.