Three Bermuda Regiment soldiers are now serving a month in the Warwick camp jail after being caught smoking marijuana.

Regiment Commanding Officer David Gibbons said he was disappointed at the lapse.

He said: “The individuals we have are not selected, it's conscription.

“There are issues out there, there are drugs in Bermuda. These things are a reflection of society.”

He said two of the men were recent recruits caught smoking together while the third worked in the mess and had been in the Regiment for two or three years.

But Lt. Col. Gibbons said the boot camp, which ended yesterday, had been a big success with originally reluctant recruits signing up for extra work.

He said: “The barometer to whether a recruit camp has been successful is the junior non-commissioned officers cadre where people volunteer for extra duties where you do an extra night a week and one or two extra weekends.

“Fifty percent of the soldiers came forward. I know many of them didn't want to be here originally because I asked them. It's a significant turn around in attitude.”

Asked what had led to the change of heart he said: “There's a fear factor in the first instance.

“People worry about what is going to happen at boot camp, maybe it's because of the movies, they think it is going to be terrible but then a lot of them find it rewarding.

“They are tested and they find they can do a whole lot more than they thought. The training programme has a heavy emphasis on teamwork and leadership.

“They start to see people who came in last year with that same type of mentality but who have turned themselves around and are now role models.”

Lt. Col. Gibbons said the Regiment had played a role in helping the Police clear up outstanding warrants with 20 or 30 recruits taking the opportunity to pay fines or set up a court date. He said: “We worked successfully with the Police in creating a win-win situation.”

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said: “This is just another way that the Bermuda Police Service is committed to dealing with the abundance of outstanding warrants.”