It is difficult to decide whether to offer congratulations or commiserations to George Jackson, who will assume the mantle of Commissioner of Police tomorrow at midnight.

For any ambitious Bermuda Policeman, this is the summit of a career, and offers the holder the opportunity to have a real impact on policing and public safety.

At the same time, this is a difficult time to take on the job.

Outgoing Commissioner Jonathan Smith warned of some of the problems in a recent controversial speech. Recalcitrant senior officers who do not believe they can be held accountable and local recruitment problems are among the greatest challenges, he said.

Now they are Mr. Jackson's.

He will also have the task of implementing the PACE legislation, which would appear to be a massive task and will require more paperwork, which in turn will mean more time off the beat for officers.

Regardless of the legislation's other merits, how the Police maintain a public presence and meet the law will be complicated, as will implementing a long-awaited new shift system.

More broadly, Mr. Jackson will also be held accountable for any rises in crime patterns, and the public will look to him to demonstrate how he intends to deal with the problems, whether for violent crime, drugs or stealing.

And he will also need to continue the work done in the recent past by the Police in becoming embedded in the community. While this is often seen as the touchy-feely side of policing, it is vitally important if the Police are to maintain, and in some cases regain, the public's confidence.

This is especially important among young people, who will either see the Police as part of the community or as an occupying army. Because the likelihood is that there will be more and not fewer non-Bermudian Police officers in the foreseeable future, winning the public's trust is essential.

Mr. Jackson will also have to work closely with Drugs Control Minister Wayne Perinchief to tackle the primary cause of crime in Bermuda and they will need to come up with a viable plan quickly. So far Mr. Perinchief has talked the talk about drugs reasonably well, but he has not yet had time to put much into practice. And as previously noted, he has few tools at his own disposal. Mr. Jackson has a good many at hand. Cooperation is essential. Turf wars will be disastrous.

Similarly, the decision to bring an officer in from the UK to run the anti-drugs segment of the Service is probably wise, assuming that he or she will bring the latest techniques and tactics to bear on drug suppliers. The decision to tackle the financiers of the trade is mostly sensible, although it should be made clear that that does not mean that street dealers will be tolerated. Efforts to cut supply need to be all-encompassing, with clean sweeps of both the sources of funding and of the sellers.

It is worrying that some Police think the new Assistant Commissioner will face resistance from middle-ranking officers. For a supposedly disciplined force, the Police have always excelled at office politics, and it will be for Mr. Jackson, who has a reputation for being something of a martinet, to make it clear that disobedience and indifference to orders will not be tolerated.

The good news is that there is a clear succession plan in place for when Mr. Jackson moves on, with soon-to-be Deputy Commissioner Roseanda Young primed to succeed him, assuming that she does not blot her copybook in her new post.

This will bring some stability to the top of the Service, which it badly needs.