Commentator Larry Burchall and taxi driver Terry Flood yesterday gave the Serious Crimes Commission food for thought on the size of the Police Service and the state of taxi service in the Island.

Mr. Burchall, a former Bermuda Regiment officer, told the Commission Bermuda was "over sized, over-managed and principally concerned with its own survival'' with its established figures of more than 450 officers.

Mr. Burchall said increases in the size of the Service "generally jibed with social upheavals in Bermuda'' and he cited the years 1965, 1968, 1977, and 1981 as years "every Bermudian'' would know.

He added that the Service -- throughout his presentation he called it by its former name of Force -- had not had an effect on serious crime nor had there been an effect on tourism from an increase on crime.

There was an "obvious disconnect'' between the number of Police in Bermuda and crime fighting.

He called for a "leaner, smarter, indigenously manned'' Service which would be better able to fight crime rather than the officers who were "divorced'' from the community.

Police should go to known hot spots and "sit on the wall'' and not move until drug dealers disappear.

Under questioning Mr. Burchall said there was a "strange attitude'' of hostility by Bermudians toward the Police and the law -- most evident among young black males.

Although he "hates the term'' Mr. Burchall called for more "role models'' for black males.

This he said, was especially evident in the classroom where "there is not much point where a 25-year-old female teacher is trying to motivate a 15-year-old male''.

Veteran taxi driver Flood told the Commission how one could get a taxi at the East End at night during the "graveyard shift''.

Murder victim Rebecca Middleton and her friend Jasmine Meens gave up on trying to get a taxi out of St. George's in July 1996 and accepted rides from local men -- an error that is believed to have led to her death.

Mr. Flood said a person should make arrangements with the taxi dispatching service to meet at the St. George's Police Station until the time of predicted arrival.

Often he said the driver may have to travel from a more central parish and the person may have to wait some time for pick-up.

"I'm sorry the incident (Rebecca's murder) did happen,'' he said. "I'm the father of four girls and this was an unfortunate crime.

"What happened to that young lady should not have happened. But I'd like to say Bermuda has the best taxi service in the world. I wouldn't want her family taking Bermuda badly because of a bad taxi service -- that's not true.''