new attorneys.

And senior Crown Counsels will also be seconded to the UK on temporary contracts to give them experience of working in a large prosecutions department.

Speaking exclusively to The Royal Gazette in London this week, the Island's senior prosecutor, Attorney General Elliott Mottley, confirmed that the service should have a full compliment of lawyers within the next two months after a long period of understaffing.

He said that three Canadian lawyers are set to join the Attorney General's Chambers.

Counsel Peter Eccles joined the service this week while Patrick Doherty is due to start later this month and a third, Sandra Bacchus, will start work in March.

And the ranks will be further swelled by Bermudian Lorraine Welch, who is expected to the Attorney General's Chambers after completing a Masters Degree in legislative drafting in Barbados.

Interviews are also being conducted to find a replacement for Parliamentary draftsman Norma Staines who has been promoted to Chief Parliamentary Counsel following the retirement of George Griffith.

Mr. Mottley also confirmed that he had made arrangements for a Crown Counsel to work with the Crown Prosecution Service in London for three months.

The attachment, due to begin in September, is aimed at giving Bermuda's senior prosecutors experience in working in a large prosecutions department. It is hoped that similar secondments will follow next year.

Although no formal decision has been made, it is understood that Crown Counsel Charlene Scott is expected to be given the post. She is currently the only Bermudian senior Crown Counsel in the prosecutions section of the Attorney General's Chambers.

Mr. Mottley said, that while in London, the Crown Counsel is likely to learn about the structure and organisation of the CPS and to look at how cases are prosecuted, although it is unlikely they will personally conduct cases.

Mr. Mottley said it would be a relief for the Chambers to be at full strength but rejected claims that prosecutions and Parliamentary drafting had fallen behind because of a lack of lawyers.

"That's a false perception,'' he said.

"We have been running two courts in the Supreme Court since the Chief Justice made his order to speed up cases.

"And if you look at the first session of the House of Assembly there were major bills passed and there were still things left at the end of the session.''