The Governor and Government stood together last night to pledge Police will be fully up to strength within three months.

Putting aside recent spats in the wake of Sunday?s horrific gunning down of Paget man Jason Lightbourne on Ord Road, the joint statement promised the Police Service will be brought up to its full establishment of 469 officers, from its present complement of 428, by the end of October.

Streetwise cops from overseas will be a top target. The statement said: ?The Government will ensure all necessary resources are made available for proactive policing in order to maintain law and order, capitalising on the effectiveness of the Police Support Unit.?

Seven officers from overseas have already been identified and will be contracted as soon as possible, with a view to deployment by the end of August.

Recruitment of the remaining officers will begin immediately, with a target of deployment by October 31.

Officers from overseas will be housed in a mixture of Government and private sector accommodation.

In recruiting officers from overseas, the Government will follow the established practice of seeking to ensure that the Police Service maintains an ethnic mix which is broadly representative of the community, said the statement.

In addition to bringing in overseas officers, local recruitment to the Police Service will continue.

The Government is encouraging the recruitment of officers with significant experience of street level policing.

The statement followed a meeting between Governor Sir John Vereker and Premier Alex Scott on policing issues in the aftermath of the shooting of Jason Lightbourne at the weekend, and of other incidents, with a view to ensuring the continuing security of both Bermudians and visitors.

The statement added: ?The Government will be reviewing the possible extension of CCTV and is committed to a co-ordinated effort across Government and with other agencies, to tackle criminal behaviour.?

Meanwhile Police continued to appeal for witnesses for Mr. Lightbourne?s murder and for the assault on Stefan Burgess who was also attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Some sources believe Mr. Lightbourne was the victim of mistaken identity, possibly as part of an ongoing feud between Warwick and Somerset gangs.

Four shell casings were found at the scene although Police believe more shots may have been fired.

Witnesses to either incident should call the Serious Crime Unit on 299-4315 or the confidential Crimestoppers hotline on 1-800-623-8477.