Jackson to become Deputy Commissioner Assistant Commissioner still to be announced Bermuda's next Commissioner of Police Jonathan Smith pledged yesterday to carry out recommended reforms of the service after it was revealed he has been given the top job.

Mr. Smith, who will replace Commisioner Jean-Jacques-Lemay in April, pledged to address four key shortcomings in the service identified by the recent Commission of Inquiry in Serious Crimes.

Acting Assistant Commissioner George Jackson was named yesterday as Deputy Commissioner-designate by Governor Thorold Masefield at a Press conference at Government House. A new Assistant Police Commissioner will be announced shortly.

The Governor revealed that the process of appointing Mr. Smith and Mr. Jackson began when Mr. Lemay was appointed nearly three years ago with a pledge to look within the service for future leaders.

Although there had been criticism about switching senior officers among temporary top posts, it was a deliberate policy to test out contenders by allowing them to take up positions of responsibility, said the Governor.

Mr. Smith, the current acting Deputy Commissioner, said yesterday: "I believe the Serious Crimes Commission told us very fundamental things.

"We have to address some training issues, we have to address issues of scientific support. There are issues collectively with Government, issues of legislation, and issues of victim support. There is a commitment among us (the new management team) to fundamentally address these four things that came out of the Commission.

Smith appointed Police Commissioner "I recognise that although the Commissioner has a leadership position, we should be aiming at 500 or more leaders, and that's the target we are aiming for.

"The service has a Commissioner and my priority is to consolidate the management team.

"The priority is to get the team in place and consolidate (Mr. Lemay's) strategic plan until April 2001.'' He said it would not be appropriate to divulge his own priorities until he took up the new post.

Mr. Lemay said he was "excited'' about working with Mr. Smith and Mr.

Jackson.

He said he would be appointing three new superintendents shortly; and described the competition for the two top posts between Mr. Smith, Mr.

Jackson, Vic Richmond, and Gertrude Barker as "very rigorous''.

Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox described Mr. Smith and Mr. Jackson as among the finest officers in the Bermuda service.

"This is a follow through of the vision for change,'' she said, "and I have made it clear that I look forward to working with them as a team.

"I am filled with tremendous optimism because I hear about leadership being collective and filtering down. If we talk about refashioning the Police Service, that's helpful.'' The Police Service was to be dynamic, not a dinosaur, so collective leadership would be important.

The Governor explained that the approach taken after Mr. Lemay was appointed was to identify talented individuals within the service and give them positions of authority to see how they would perform.

Each candidate was asked the same questions during a rigorous interview and their responses were assessed by the Public Services Commission, which recommends appointments.

The Governor met the Commission on Monday for a one-hour meeting and spoke to the four candidates yesterday morning.