Colin Coxall. At the behest of Government House and the Minister of Home Affairs, the senior members of the Police Service are being reassessed in what appears to be simply a cosmetic exercise. Politics requires that the Government take a look at Bermudians before proceeding overseas for a replacement Commissioner.

As was bound to happen in the wake of the Colin Coxall Affair, there are a great many unsubstantiated reports flying around Bermuda. That is not unusual on this tiny Island but it does add to the confusion of the people who have yet to be reassured that the going of Colin Coxall was not caused by several fits of political pique. Some people report that Premier Pamela Gordon is determined not to have another Commissioner of Police from the United Kingdom.

Others claim a Barbadian has already been approached. Some say the search is already on for a senior black American Police officer if for no other reason than to keep the PLP's Alex Scott quiet. Mr. Scott is already on record as believing that any old body will do for the job. Some feel there is no longer a suggestion to find a Commissioner in Hong Kong because the Police there are widely thought of as being authoritarian and corrupt.

Sensible people do not mind where the new Commissioner comes from as long as it can be demonstrated that he or she is at least as capable as Colin Coxall.

The great fear is that the politicians will suit themselves by choosing an agreeable non-entity. But it always has to be remembered that it is never wise to get rid of someone unless you can demonstrate that the replacement is as good or better. Since it is Colin Coxall who is being replaced, that will be very difficult.

We would like to see Bermuda make a definitive decision that the Commissioner of Police should be above politics and should not be burdened with Bermuda's history and local friends and relatives and the baggage Bermudians inevitably carry. The Commissioner should be independent in every way and free to do the job unhindered.

That, of course, requires a Commissioner from outside. We think Bermuda should decide now that Commissioners of Police should always be hired outside Bermuda and should be paid well and housed properly to serve for a five-year term, three is too short, and then be replaced. During the term the Commissioner should be responsible to the rule of law and stated principles of good policing. Any suggestion that a Commissioner be removed during the five-year term would have to be acted on by the three judges of the Court of Appeal.

That way you get an independent person who has nothing to fear from politicians.

Such a decision would go a long way toward reassuring many Bermudians that the Country is not on a "slippery slope'' and would allow the Country to move ahead again. It would also send a reassuring message to Bermuda's very nervous international clients.