recruits into the Bermuda Police, Commissioner Colin Coxall has confirmed that women are now being actively encouraged to join the Service.

Furthermore, he has announced that women will, in future, be involved in the full range of operational Police duties, including public order matters.

"As of this week,'' says Mr. Coxall, "I received the authority from Government to set about purchasing new riot equipment and our women Police officers will be issued with that equipment and will be receiving the same training as their male colleagues.'' The Commissioner says it has recently been discovered that although 15 percent of the Service are women, none have ever emerged above the rank of Inspector -- a state of affairs that he would like to see changed.

"If there was a glass ceiling in the past, it no longer exists. There is no department which is barred to any woman officer, and she may apply to serve in any department she chooses.'' On the thorny issue of women being physically smaller and often perceived as being `weaker' than their male colleagues -- and therefore, more vulnerable in possibly dangerous situations, the Commissioner is also speaking out in their defence.

"I think women officers use different skills and those skills frequently achieve the same objective.'' Noting that the recent intake of women into the Service has been "very strong'', Mr. Coxall comments, "I have every belief that with the quality of women officers I have seen, I have no doubt that there are officers who are well capable of, one day, becoming a Commissioner of Police.'' At present, there are three female Inspectors -- Insp. Gertie Barker who heads Community and Juvenile Services, Insp. Juanita Allchin, and Insp. Roseanda Jones. Insp. Barker succeeded former Inspector Mrs. Jean Vickers, the first local Policewoman to join the Service, back in 1962, and the first to attain the rank of Inspector.

With the new Commissioner apparently determined to stand by the females in his Service, how do the women themselves feel about their male colleagues and their chances of promotion? In the latest, 16-week basic training session now underway, women outnumber men by nine to seven.

One of them is WPc. Ellen-Ann Miller, now in the second week of the course at Prospect. She is confident about her prospects and immediately scotches any suspicions that women are given the `velvet glove' treatment.

"We do exactly the same as men -- in the mornings we do drill and uniforms are inspected, then classes till noon. Then it's P.T., running, swimming and sometimes both. After lunch we are in class till 5 p.m. It's tough, but in P.T., some of us are out-running the men!'' WPc. Miller, who has a B.Sc. from Cheyney University in business, fashion merchandising and music, says she became bored in her civilian job. "I wanted more of a challenge so I worked part-time at Customs and that led to the idea of joining the Police.'' She finds the course is teaching her discipline which, she believes, teaches self-respect.

"Yes, I think I have the same chances as men for promotion. Basically, I think other women should be encouraged to consider a career in the Police -- we shouldn't think we can't do the things that males do -- always think positive, never negative,'' adding, "with the new Commissioner, it's a great time to join the Police Service because he has lots of new things in store for us.'' It has taken Sgt. Cindy Eve-Spencer 14 years to make it to that rank. She was promoted in 1993 and in June she was made Watch Sergeant at Hamilton Police Station.

Asked how male officers have reacted to having a female boss, she replies, "Most of the Constables on my watch are male and, so far, I've had absolutely no problems. Of course,'' she adds with a laugh, "it's early days yet, as I haven't been here long, but on this watch, I get a lot of respect. Most of them are young -- it's a young watch, and most have only been in for three years at the most.'' Sgt. Eve-Spencer ("they call me that because I'm married to a Policeman and he's also a Sergeant, and that was confusing for everyone!''), who attended Warwick Academy, fields a constant stream of interruptions as she speaks, answering queries from other officers, signing forms, answering the phone.

"I believe I can work in any department and be very happy. I'm certainly hoping to have a bright future and move into a higher rank, eventually. I've worked in Community and Juvenile Services, although it was known as `Women Police' at the time, and in Administration, and in Traffic.'' It was in this division that Sgt. Eve-Spencer believes she was treated differently from her male counterparts. "Only two females have ever done the Police cycle riding course. I did it and passed it, but I was never attached to the Cycle Squad. I did get the impression that some of the men don't want women in that section. It's been totally male ever since it started and I don't think they liked the idea of a female coming in. I think the situation has improved now.'' At that moment, WPc. Yvonne Ricca, who attended Northlands and Roger Chaffee Schools, arrives at the station, in full riding gear: she is the first female to join the hallowed ranks of the Cycle Squad.

"I'm getting on fine,'' she beams. "Of course, I've only been in the squad for three weeks, but everyone is a great help. All the guys I work with are totally accepting of me.

The `glass ceiling' is broken within the Police Service But,'' she adds, "there are two sections. I've only dealt with the Cycle Squad, which is mostly concerned with theft, and then there's the Motor Cycle Patrol Section, which handle things like radar.'' WPc. Ricca was in the Reserves for four years, a route, she says for some people who end up by joining the Police Service.

WPc. Amanda Blakeney, who celebrates her 20th birthday today, is an ex-student at Warwick Secondary School, and also attached to the Hamilton Station. She has been in the Service for just nine months and says her decision to join was a last-minute one. "I am a shy person but I wanted to do something that would make me more confident, something to challenge me. I like working with people, and I like working with criminals. I was a cadet for a year. I think that's a good course. I like making arrests, it's a challenge. Eventually, I'd like to work in Scenes of Crime.'' On the subject of the public's general perception of the Police -- and those who work in its service, WPc. Blakeney admits, "My friends took it hard, and when they see me in uniform, I can see their attitude to me changes. Young people don't like authority, they don't like people correcting them -- they're just the same at school. Some may have had a bad encounter with the Police, so they stereotype us as all the same. I have to walk the beat on Court Street, but I don't feel at all nervous.'' Ex-Berkeley Instutitute student, WPc.

Cheryl Watts, has been in the Service for one year and nine months and is also based in Hamilton.

"I've had no experience of negativity from my male colleagues -- not at all! Especially if you are working by yourself and in a situation that may get out of hand, they are very quick to back you up and if you're in a scuffle, they are right there.'' Joining the Service because she wanted a career change (she was previously a secretary and then a dental assistant), WPc. Watts says she feels she has a fair chance for promotion.

"I don't know if I'll make it, but I think my chances are just as even as the men's. I'd like to work in Community and Juvenile Services and, Special Branch attracts me. No one seems to know much about that, so I would like to find out!'' She acknowledges that there is danger on the job, at times, especially when dealing with domestic disputes. "You don't know what you are facing but you know you have to go! Those thoughts do run through your head but you do what you have to do. The fear sometimes hits afterwards -- thinking what could have happened! Yes, it does hurt when people are constantly criticising the Police.

We try to please everybody and when we don't fill just one person's expectations, we're all written off as `bad'. But we're good cops -- at least, we try to be.'' WPc. Lendrea Davis began her Police career at 16, when she left Whitney Institute to join the Cadet scheme. This January, she will have completed three years in the Police Service and is about to undergo the compulsory one-month `Continuation' course. This, as the name suggests, is a follow-up on the basic 16-week course and has to be taken by all officers before they can be confirmed as permanent members of the Service.

Attached to the Somerset division, WPc. Davis has just completed a month on the Task Force which, she says, was "quite an experience, but I enjoyed it.'' Asked how she has fared with her male colleagues, she says, "Some of the men think you are not capable of doing the same job as them and there's been a tendency for them to stereotype us all as being the same.'' On the subject of promotion, she says, "I think it depends on the individual woman. In the past, I think they were held back by some of the people in charge -- I do think that women do perhaps have to work harder to prove themselves. But I'm very happy in my job, and hoping I'll pass my final exam! Our new Commissioner has been emphasising that we should strive for qualifications as well as being capable, so I'm doing some courses at the College. I'm hoping that I can go and work in C.I.D. or Narcotics.''