Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva spoke of the need to respect everyone's religious beliefs at a multi-faith worship service to kick off Police Week yesterday.

Mr. DeSilva told the congregation at the Cathedral that people of all faiths must work together to help create a safer Bermuda.

"Policing is one part technical skill, and two parts relationship," he said.

"Policing is about trust and confidence. Trust is formed out of respect, and respect spans a continuum of difference ranging from race, to age, to gender, to social class, to culture, to religion and spirituality.

"Police officers must respect the different religious beliefs within the community we serve, as much as we must respect the different beliefs within our own ranks.

"Whether we believe in Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Maori Spirituality or Sikhism, or even none of the above, at the end of the day, we all believe.

"Whatever the higher power is that watches over us, we are all grateful that we are, indeed, being watched over.

"And whatever our faith happens to be, we all believe in the power achieved by everyone working together to make Bermuda safer."

Police Week, which started yesterday, is a celebration of 131 years of official service from Bermuda Police Service since the original Police Act of 1879.

Mr. DeSilva told the congregation Police rely on community support more now than ever before.

This year's Police Week included a pedal cycle gymkhana for the first time in 18 years, with members of the public turning up with their bicycles to laps of Police Field.

The gymkhana marked the revival of a long-standing tradition which began in the 1960s as an attempt to improve relations between Police and young people.