Bermuda’s security is too important to be used as “a political football”, a group of former Bermuda Regiment commanding officers warned last night.

And the group — known as The Nine Colonels — appealed for Premier and National Security Minister Michael Dunkley to be given time to abolish conscription into the Island’s armed service without compromising the vital role of the Regiment.

The group spoke out after Shadow National Security Minister Walter Roban called on Government to abolish conscription faster than the proposed last intake for the 2016 recruit camp — which means the final conscripts would finish their service in 2019.

But a spokesman for the Colonels said: “This is an important matter for Bermuda. If we get it wrong, we will find ourselves without a Regiment.

“To put undue political pressure on him to get it all done in the blink of an eye is very, very shortsighted indeed.”

The spokesman added: “Our group has spent quite a lot of time during the last few months trying to persuade Bermudians, not to keep conscription at all costs, but to recognise the risks Bermuda faces if we try to eliminate conscription carelessly.

“We believe we have raised the community’s consciousness significantly about the good things the Regiment does and about what might happen if we fail to keep our intake of manpower at a certain level.”

The spokesman added the Colonels had backed Mr Dunkley’s July statement to the House of Assembly, where he ruled out a “haphazard” end to conscription in favour of an “orderly transition designed to preserve the strength of the Bermuda Regiment without prejudice to the role and responsibility it is required to discharge ...”

And Mr Dunkley warned: “This change will take time, money and planning and no amount of campaigning to the contrary will make it happen any sooner.”

The spokesman said that it supported Mr Dunkley’s plan if it ensured the Regiment’s roles in national security, disaster relief and maritime support to the police were not compromised and averted “what might happen if we fail to keep our intake of manpower at a certain level.”

The spokesman added: “We have tried to do that in a neutral, non-confrontational and respectful way and we believe most of those for whom our message was intended have understood and appreciated that.

“There are some who either don’t understand or don’t care what we say but we accept that as natural in a community such as ours.”

And the spokesman said: “With respect, we would ask Mr Roban to let the Premier do what the Premier feels he must do.

“Let him do it thoroughly and well so that we can see without any doubt whether in this community we can afford to do away with conscription completely at this time. That, it seems to us, is the only sensible way to proceed.”

The spokesman added that the group had had talks with members of Government and the Opposition and that Ministers, Shadow Ministers, MPs and Senators had been “supportive and clearly recognise the need for a strong, well-manned Regiment.”

And he said: “It is our intention to continue to engage with more of these lawmakers, including Mr Roban, because the security of our Island is too important to be used as a political football.”

Mr Roban — speaking last week — said that the PLP had committed to ending conscription in its 2012 election platform and, after losing the election, had tabled a bill to abolish it, which was voted down by Government.

The OBA also backed an end to conscription in the run-up to the 2012 general election and Mr Dunkley said in July that a bill would be brought to the House of Assembly in the next session.

But Mr Roban said that Bermudians should not have to “wait five years for the OBA to figure out how to keep this promise.”