The Supreme Court is to run criminal cases back-to-back to help clear the logjam caused by Bermuda?s growing violent crime.

Supreme Court staff will fly to England next week to assess how they do it because Bermuda?s system is not keeping pace with the number of new cases.

The current system usually starts cases on a Monday with another case on stand-by in case it cannot proceed.

But it can lead to several days delay, particular at the end of the week when cases are over.

The new system will put cases in a queue to ensure the court is busy as much as possible with one case following the next in order.

The system should be in place within the next few months. Chief Justice Richard Ground told : ?We were making great strides in clearing the backlog but last month there were 14 new cases.

?It had come down a bit in March with nine new cases but now it?s pushing up again. We can?t keep pace with 13-14 a month. We only have two courts which can do trials.?

Another reason why cases do not proceed is the lack of available criminal defence lawyers. Despite Legal Aid now paying $200 an hour and lawyers charging non-Legal Aid clients even more, the lure of even more lucrative commercial work means few attorneys stick with it. Mr. Ground said: ?To stay in criminal law requires a certain temperament. It?s hard work. It?s quite confrontational and can be personally bruising. ?A criminal lawyer can get called out in the middle of the night. If you are in the middle of a trial and you have to prepare for next day you can be up late.?

Mr. Ground said a dedicated commercial court could be up and running by the end of the year.

He said Supreme Court Registry staff were also looking at how the English commercial court system works during next week?s trip.

?It works well there,? said Mr. Ground. He said the rules of the Supreme Court are being looked at by a committee of the Bar Council in a bid to modernise them.

However he said there was no news about replacing Bermuda?s Supreme Courts ? some of which are in a decrepit state.

He said: ?Surveyors from the Works and Engineering property department are continuing to look for alternative accommodation.?

Yesterday armed Police patrolled the area around Supreme Court for the arraignment hearing ? an increasingly common sight these days.

Mr. Ground said: ?It is regrettable ? it reflects the increase in violent crime in Bermuda. I think the increase is a reality. Courts cannot turn a blind eye to it so I think the response is appropriate.?

Mr. Ground also said it might be necessary to split up the monthly arraignment session because it puts a burden on the prison staff who had to supervise many criminals being held in a small holding cell.

Yesterday he praised prison staff for their handling of the situation but he suggested splitting the session into morning and afternoon sessions to lighten the load on prison and security staff.