Attempts to bolster depleted Police ranks stepped up a gear yesterday, as a call went out for ?more brain and less brawn?.

An all-day careers fair aimed at luring talented home-grown officers into the ranks was held at Prospect headquarters.

The event comes hot on the heels of bleak warnings about the ability of the Bermuda Police Service to attract the top cops of the future. The last recruitment drive was a flop, the recently retired Commissioner Jonathan Smith admitted recently, with less applications than there were posts to fill and 30 vacancies left outstanding.

The scale of the problem became apparent when it emerged that the latest batch of new faces had been due to start training in March, 2006. But those sessions were put on hold due to lack of numbers ? and left the service hoping that yesterday?s careers fair would prove much more successful.

Ch. Insp. Mike Jackman, training and recruitment officer, told that after a ?slow start? about two dozen people had walked through the doors by 2 p.m. yesterday. However, he said he expected at least 100 by the end of the evening session.

Ch. Insp. Jackman admitted the force had faced ?difficulties? when it came to recruitment, as competition increased from private sector companies often able to offer more lucrative pay packets. That battle for staff was underscored yesterday ? the Bank of Butterfield held a similar event also targeting college students taking a break over Christmas.

But Police recruitment officials were in defiant mood, stating that it was time to shatter a few ?myths? about fighting crime in Bermuda in a bid to make a cop career more attractive.

And Ch. Insp. Jackman said the modern service needed less ?tough cops on the street? and more ?people with brains? trained to snare hi-tech crooks and tackle big business fraud.

He added: ?Policing in Bermuda requires a more educated and dynamic Police Service. White-collar crime, terrorism and complicated criminals involved in global crime require us to employ creative and innovative people to out-think and out-smart modern day criminals. The Bermuda Police Service will be a place where innovative technologies and crime-fighting systems will be the norm and brawn will be less significant than brain.?

New techniques in forensics will be needed in future, and there will be opportunities in research and policy development for applicants who fit the bill.

Former Commissioner Jonathan Smith recently said the rising tide of violence on the Island, with the threat of machete and firearm attacks increasing, was scaring off potential new officers.

But Ch. Insp. Jackman claimed the dangers linked with crime-fighting were often exaggerated. Of 29,000 reported incidents this year, there were 46 assaults. Training and new equipment, soon to be boosted by the new debilitating incapacitant spray, help minimise injuries, he said.

He also stressed that pay levels in the force were competitive, comparing an average annual salary of $73,000 paid to a qualified accountant with $50,000 ? plus the possibility of up to $10,000 from benefits like overtime ? for an officer starting on the bottom rung of the career ladder.

After three years? probation, the training chief added, new recruits can rise to Sergeant and then ?the sky was the limit?.

Changes to an ?anti-social? shift system were in the pipeline making it more family friendly and giving officers more days off in a row. Ch. Insp. Jackman also said training was not a difficult process and took about half a year. The Service was also currently looking at plans for an accelerated promotion scheme, and higher starting salaries, for graduates or people switching careers.

One potential recruit, currently working for Government, said the prospect of patrolling the streets did not appeal. But the man said he was keen on the hi-tech and forensic side of police work.