morale and drastic undermanning.

Home and Delegated Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman will meet Police Commissioner Mr. Lennett (Lennie) Edwards and Governor Lord Waddington.

Last night Mr. Pearman said talks would take place sooner rather than later.

"Provision has been made to enhance the level of the Force,'' he added.

The disclosure comes amid renewed allegations about problems in the force.

They have been made in a letter to The Royal Gazette by a Policeman, who does not wish to be named.

The letter claims understaffing was made worse when 25 contract officers lost their jobs several months ago.

It states the job losses halved the Police Emergency Response Team.

And it alleges: Morale is "unbelievably low''; Many Policemen have resigned; CID officers have too many cases to deal with; Overworked uniformed Policemen sometimes do not attend incidents or are forced to retreat because no reinforcements are available; and Despite promises, there have been no significant promotions. There is still no Assistant Commissioner.

Last night Mr. Pearman did not wish to comment on internal matters within the Police.

But he pointed out that a special committee was set up in line with the recommendations of England's Judge Stephen Tumim, who looked into Bermuda's criminal justice system.

The committee examined the Police Force, and had produced a report with recommendations.

This was now being reviewed, Mr. Pearman said.

Yesterday Mr. Edwards did not wish to comment on the allegations.

In his letter the Policeman -- who voiced similar complaints to The Royal Gazette last year -- agreed with moves to Bermudianise the force.

But he said such moves were "totally impractical''.

"The Police Service is in trouble. Mark my words the Commissioner WILL recruit overseas this year because despite the recent recruiting campaign there have been few `suitable' applications, certainly not enough to make a difference.'' The letter states: "I told you last time that morale was at rock bottom, well that was an understatement compared to the way most members of the service feel now.

"There have been numerous resignations and the prospects of replacements being found in Bermuda are slim.

"There are presently eight recruits in the Training School, which will hardly make a difference by the time they graduate, as more and more officers consider leaving the job because morale has plummeted to a low that will take a long, long time to improve.

"Inexperienced officers are being thrown into situations that they cannot handle because they lack the assistance of experienced officers.

"They often find themselves being sent to incidents that are potentially dangerous with little or no prospects of back-up because the watches are so short of personnel.''