Following in the tradition of Canada's `Mounties' who, back in the 19th century, originally donned those famous scarlet tunics so that native Indians would immediately recognise them as `protectors' rather than as `law enforcers', Bermuda's new Deputy Commissioner is also a passionate believer in the concept of community policing.

Jean Jacques Lemay's wide experience of this modern approach to policing which, as a Chief Superintendent in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), found him variously in charge of staffing and personnel at National Headquarters in Ottawa, a two-year stint with Interpol in Paris, as well as an ultimate testing of skills in a danger-filled tour of duty as Commissioner of Civilian Police for the UN mission in Haiti, makes him `a natural' for the Bermuda post.

Questioned on his reaction to what he calls Bermuda's "expat controversy'', Mr. Lemay cheerfully admits that if his own country brought in an expatriate to occupy a senior position, the same questions would be asked. "I can quite understand that,'' he says, "but I am a police officer, not a politician. The politicians have their jobs to do, they have to deal with the concerns of their constituents. As a police officer, however, I have my job to do, which is to represent every section of the community, providing the best service possible, regardless of any political affiliations. That makes it easy, in a way, because I am not concerned with the mixing of politics with the job, and I think my previous experience in places like Haiti and Paris, set me in good stead for that.'' Stating that he personally finds Bermuda "a very gentle place'', Mr. Lemay makes a direct appeal to the general public for their help in implementing the Bermuda Police Service Strategy as set out by the Commissioner. "All of our officers need encouragement and support some very difficult transitions that have to be made in a very short space of time.'' Reflecting that many of us are inclined to take the freedoms of democracy for granted, Mr. Lemay says he volunteered for the UN mission to Haiti in 1993 because "in Canada we are very fortunate in terms of human rights and personal freedom. So I wanted to make a contribution, to try and make a difference. I hope I brought about some changes and helped to bring at least a degree of democracy to Haiti for the first time.'' Appointed Commissioner of Civilian Police Monitors in that country by the UN Security Council, he knew that a number of groups "with their own agenda'' did everything possible to sabotage the introduction of a democratic regime.

In Paris, on the other hand, he was working with an organisation (Interpol) which is totally focussed on fighting crime. "We certainly didn't become involved in politics or religion -- Interpol has a very strict policy of concentrating on crime only. That's a good focus, and that is what I am doing here in Bermuda.'' The new Deputy's first weekend in Bermuda turned out to be anything but routine. "I wanted to spend a couple of days getting to know people so I did the 10K and then spent the rest of the weekend out on patrol. I found myself assisting at the scene of an accident, shortly after which we had to give CPR assistance to a heart attack victim. Then, in St. David's I ended up in a bit of a scuffle helping a constable arrest a man who was allegedly resisting arrest for an alleged drugs transaction. So it was quite an eventful weekend!'' The first Canadian to be appointed to a top Bermuda Police position, Mr. Lemay is full of praise for the beauty of the Island and friendliness of the Bermudian people. "You can't help but be impressed by that first sight of Bermuda as you fly in and see the brilliant greens and blues of the sea, and then this beautiful island unfolding in front of you! And I really love the way everyone greets you here. That's not the norm in most places, I can assure you, and I think it is a quality that Bermuda should never lose. It's unique, and I wish more countries offered that kind of courtesy. Since I arrived in January, I have been able to meet a wide mix of people, both within and outside the Service.'' In his opinion, community policing -- which relies on the total cooperation and commitment of the entire population -- is especially desirable in a very small community such as Bermuda. Mr. Lemay says that as he has walked the streets, he has been able to sound people out on policy changes so far. "Just about everyone has said that they like the changes and they believe crime is now decreasing. We do have to be sensitive to politicians' needs, but our job is not to get involved in politics of any kind! What we have to do, is sit down with various people in the community and look at crime with a view to solving the problem -- just arresting and incarcerating people clearly doesn't work! We all have to work together to get to the root of problems such as drugs. We can have very pro-active programmes in place to make children aware of the dangers, for instance, but in order to make these programmes effective you have to have the full backing and partnership of the entire community.'' Transforming Bermuda's Police Service from the potentially confrontational atmosphere of `command and control' to this more enlightened concept of `shared leadership' is one of the major tasks facing Mr. Lemay as he takes up the reins of his new position.

"Most police services are now switching from the paramilitary approach -- commanded and controlled from the top -- to a system where leadership skills are encouraged in even the most junior officers,'' he explains. "This `shared leadership' approach, which is essential to the whole idea of community policing, encourages young officers to develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. Making that shift, which is a totally new method of policing, is a huge move. Mr. Coxall and I, however, are committed to developing leadership skills, even at the lowest levels.'' Noting that community policing focuses on the level of service delivered by the Police, Mr. Lemay says that people "quite rightly'' want to know what they are getting for their dollars. "When Mr. Coxall talks about running the Police Service as a `CEO' he is quite right, because a budget of $30 million certainly makes us all accountable -- Mr. Coxall is accountable, and I am accountable to him! We have been given a mandate to deliver to the people of Bermuda an effective level of policing. So, to ensure that officers at `executive level' have acquired, or are given the means to acquire, the sort of skills essential at that level, we have to put in place a proper system of promotions that are based on merit rather than seniority.'' The whole concept of Police training is presently undergoing a `sea-change' and one of Mr. Lemay's primary tasks is to ensure that training methods dovetail with the overall Service Strategy. Through the executive development programme, more officers will be sent away to the UK and Canada, to expose them to other organisations and methods, and to gain wider experience that will make them more competitive within the Service.

"When I got here, I made a commitment that, with the Commissioner, I would concentrate on providing an examination process to cover the promotion from sergeant to inspector. It will be modelled on the UK system, but adjusted to suit Bermuda and we will work closely with the Police Association to ensure that everyone understands how the new system will work. That will allow us to develop a pool of people who are qualified to become inspectors. With consistent, and clearly set-out rules, other processes will also involve the upper levels, with reviews put in place to see what else needs to be changed to ensure that only the most capable people are given positions of responsibility.'' In this connection, Mr. Lemay is setting up a structured appraisal system.

"This will identify future leaders,'' he explains, "otherwise, you end up with gaps in the organisation, with individuals who are inadequately prepared to take on greater responsibilities. Mr. Coxall has identified that problem and the new appraisal system will ensure that policies are consistently applied. Policy today,'' he emphasises, "has to focus on merit -- NOT seniority. We are looking for innovative, creative, problem-solving people who believe in, and live by the concept of the community policing policy. In the past, perhaps, people have assumed that promotion is automatic and this is emphatically not the case. Seniority will only be applied in the unusual event of a tie-breaker with people who have exactly the same qualifications.'' With emphasis on the "delivery level'' of the Service, Mr. Lemay says he totally agrees with the Commissioner's previously stated focus of the constable being the most important member of the Police Service. "That's because he is the one who interacts with the general public on a daily basis.

Everyone else has to assist the constable in support of that aim, to help empower the officer to make decisions. They cannot do that unless they have received good training so we have to facilitate the training process, to coach younger officers through the difficult times to give them a better understanding of the job and a more realistic appreciation of what is expected of them. To that end, we are giving our young officers the opportunity to problem-solve, and more authority to help prepare them to take on important roles within the Service. The Commissioner and I,'' he emphasises, "are actively encouraging people empowerment! Our inspectors and chief inspectors are being asked to take on more responsibility. I keep telling people `I don't need to see this' and I hope this spirit of delegation will trickle all the way down to the constables. At the moment, we have a situation where a constable can be asked to fill in as `acting sergeant', only to be banished back to obscurity when the permanent sergeant returns to duty! This is really not satisfactory, so I am now committed to the `shifting down' of responsibility.'' Mr. Lemay, who was in charge of 23,000 officers as Director of Staffing and Personnel at National Headquarters in Ottawa, is well aware that there is some risk in this procedure. "As I see it,'' he continues, "the big thing that has been lacking here is `opportunity'. So `mentorship' and `coaching' are the new buzz words! Bermuda's `Mountie' looks to the youth Mr. Coxall and I recognise that these young people will make mistakes but we are there to watch over them and talk things over. It is the most effective way of developing skills. I think it's true to say,'' he adds, "that in the past, very little has been done to provide young people with opportunities to prove themselves so that, some day, they will be in a position to take over.'' Speaking eloquently on the qualities essential in effective police officers, Mr. Lemay says that he tells trainees, in particular, that the best police officer is a person of many attributes. "We are looking for many things -- integrity, honesty, compassion, respect, accountability and professionalism. I try to explain, when talking about integrity, for instance, the repercussions of committing perjury or being generally dishonest. And compassion has to be shown in everything you do. If someone's house is broken into, for example, you can't just leave the person sitting there, in a highly upset state. We have to provide `victim services' -- to hug the woman who has just lost her son in an accident, to arrange for someone to stay with her, to show that you care as a human being. We must be careful to respect our clients' religious beliefs, or sexual persuasion, and to respect our colleagues. You simply cannot have a successful police service without the support of the public and in order to gain that support we have to be accountable for our actions. There is a system in place for those who are unhappy with the way they have been treated. In that connection, I personally always wear a name tag on my uniform, so that people know who I am. In Bermuda, officers have to wear a number! I think it's very important to spell out the first name as is humanises the officer. Then,'' he continues, "we come to the word `professionalism' and I always tell young people that this is a `catch-all' for all of the qualities I have just mentioned.'' GETTING SETTLED IN -- Deputy Commissioner Jean Jacques Lemay.