Two top Policemen have asked to meet Governor Thorold Masefield amid controversy over who should succeed outgoing Police Commissioner Colin Coxall, The Royal Gazette understands.

And it is believed the two -- Assistant Commissioner Harold Moniz and Supt.

Alan Bissell -- will stake a claim for a Bermudian to take over at the Bermuda Police's Prospect headquarters.

But this week everybody involved was staying tight-lipped over the meeting. A spokesman for Government House said he had "no comment at all on the matter.'' And Mr. Moniz said: "The time is not right for any comment -- not at this particular point in time. Perhaps later on, but not now.'' Mr. Moniz has been passed over from promotion to the two top jobs in the force three times -- once for Commissioner and twice for Deputy Commissioner -- in favour of imported officers.

The move echoes a similar visit to Government House last year when four officers, Mr. Moniz, Mr. Bissell, Supt, Campbell Simons and Det. Supt. Vic Richmond -- visited then-Governor Lord Waddington.

In July, the four visited Government House to protest at the decision to hire Canadian Mountie Jean-Jacques Lemay after then-Deputy Commissioner, Englishman Michael Mylod, went home early for personal reasons.

Mr. Coxall caused shock waves two weeks ago when he announced his intention to quit five months ahead of the end of his three-year contract.

When he was appointed, he slimmed down the force's senior management, reducing the number of Assistant Commissioners from three to one. Mr. Bissell was at that time an Acting Assistant Commissioner.

Axed in Mr. Coxall's total revamp of the force were Assistant Commissioner Wayne Perinchief -- who later won an undisclosed cash settlement from Government in an out-of-court settlement after a court ruled he was illegally dismissed -- and Supt. George Rose.

Labour and Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness and Mr. Masefield are understood to be casting their nets wide in a bid to find a replacement for Mr. Coxall.

But Bermuda's leaders are also thought to be looking at several Commonwealth countries, including the UK, Canada, countries in the Caribbean and even as far afield as the former British colony of Hong Kong, for a new Police chief.