A passionate plea for assistance in recruiting 50 new officers was made by Police Sgt. Clarke Minors yesterday.

Police Sgt. Clarke Minors addressed the Hamilton Rotarians at their weekly luncheon at La Coquille restaurant.

He outlined the Police Service's aggressive recruiting campaign with the overriding message that there are good career prospects for young Bermudians in the Service.

Sgt. Minors asked Rotarians for their assistance in spreading the word that there are great opportunities available to people who are interested in joining the force.

The Service is competing with other organisations to get young, skilled Bermudians to consider law enforcement as a career, but Sgt. Minors stressed the wide variety of exciting opportunities within the Service.

He also explained that all interested Bermudians should apply whether or not they have post-secondary education.

"I believe in the Bermuda Police Service,'' Sgt. Minors said. He joined the force because he saw the chance "to be part of a strong powerful organisation in Bermuda which enables us to serve the community''.

Sgt. Minors stated that the service intends to re-launch the Police Cadet Scheme and is already involved in other schemes to boost the Service's profile in the community.

The REACH scheme sends Police officers into schools to teach children the importance of maintaining balance in their lives. There is also the Juvenile Liaison Scheme which gives young first-time offenders a second chance and the Police Night School Scheme which provides members of the public with information on how the Police Service operates.

"The pay is good and the benefits are good,'' Sgt. Minors said and he highlighted that the force is targetting young people with ability, with skills, and with integrity who will make a contribution to the Service and the community.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Police Service should contact Suzette Edmead in the Human Resources Department on 295-0011.

Sgt. Clarke Minors