interviewing suspects.

Sir James cast doubt on the proposal by Judge Stephen Tumim.

But he backed plans to record court proceedings on video -- another Tumim recommendation.

Judge Tumim, Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales, put forward the ideas in his report on Bermuda's criminal justice system.

He argued they would boost confidence in the system, and make Police and the courts more accountable.

But Sir James, who retires on Sunday, said video taping of Police interviews could prove counter-productive, and hinder justice.

He said officers and the suspects would be too self-conscious. The interviews could become artifical.

"People, for instance, would like to look good while the tapes are rolling.'' Sir James, however, said he had no quarrel with video recording court proceedings.

And he also backed Judge Tumim's recommendation for stenographers to be used.

They would greatly speed up proceedings, he said.

Sir James also underlined Bermuda's difficulties in tackling the drug scourge.

Tough sentences were not always the answer, he said.

The key lay with getting at the root cause of the problem, but that was something outside the judiciary.

"I don't know what causes people to take drugs. I've seen the way it changes people's minds. It changes personalities.'' Sir James said he had even seen lawyers caught up in the problem.

"They would be beautiful in the morning, and then in the afternoon very different.'' He said it was for adults to show the way to youngsters. They set the example.

Sir James also took a parting shot at the state of the courts -- a now familiar gripe.

"We need to rectify the physical plant of the courts. We need some modern structure and facilities for our courts.''