Government will table legislation in the next few weeks aimed at speeding up the process by which young men can be prosecuted for dodging the draft, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

The amendments to the Defence Act will ensure that those called up to the Bermuda Regiment will not be able to avoid service simply by not signing papers on conscription night or turning up for medical evaluation.

The Regiment is only able to prosecute soldiers but those who have not signed on to serve cannot be penalised because technically they are still civilians.

The Royal Gazette understands that the legislation will speed up the prosecution of draft dodgers by going some way towards bypassing the court system so that the process will not be dependent on action by the Police or the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Because of the current system, which relies on the serving of warrants, it emerged that only 30 of those who attempted to dodge the draft last year appeared before the courts.

Acting Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Lt. Col. David Burch declined to comment on the legislation yesterday because he had not seen it.

But a Regiment insider confirmed that the legislation had been drafted and was expected to be tabled in the House of Assembly within the next few weeks.

The Regiment, which has a capacity of 600 men all ranks, is currently undermanned with a personnel count of 450. It was calculated two years ago that of the 400 men called up each year, thirty per cent fail to turn up on conscription night.

Meanwhile, the father of a soldier who suffered from heat exhaustion while parading during a ceremony at Warwick Camp on Saturday has called for the Bermuda Regiment to be replaced with a professional body of troops.

The man, who served in the British Army for several years, said he was genuinely worried for his son's health after he and other soldiers were ordered to parade in the hot sun for hours while rehearsing for the handover of command ceremony on Saturday.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: "He looked like he had been roasted alive. You'd think that they would have done the rehearsals in the evening. He said he felt like he was in a frying pan."

Adjutant Capt. William White confirmed that there had been a "handful" of faintings but said medical assistance was on hand.

He added that the troops had only had to rehearse for a couple of hours and then had had a long lunch break before going on parade.

But the concerned father said: "They are amateurs up there. The way they handled it showed no compassion or common sense. That was a lot of kids in a state of utter exhaustion and its not right."

The man said his son had gone into the Regiment after being conscripted with "the right attitude".

But he said many of the young men, who only have to attend Warwick Camp part-time, are not fit enough to readily endure such physical challenges.

"It is no wonder that so many kids are put off from doing it. Why don't they get a Regiment of professionals with people that actually want to be there?

Bermuda would be much better served by a smaller body of well-trained men. I agree that we need a Regiment. It is a national security interest. But its needs to be changed from its present format."

The man called the policy of conscription "myopic" and blasted the fact that Bermuda's young people are lumped into one group and seen as troublemakers in need of discipline.

"They should drop the whole thing and make it voluntary," he said. "It basically lumps all kids into the same category, as if they already have one leg in Westgate. The fact is, ninety per cent of the kids out there are good kids who come from well-disciplined homes."

Lt. Col. David Burch, who was commander of the service for three years, said the officers at the Regiment were of "professional standard" and added that he thought the majority of people in Bermuda supported conscription.

He said: "Everybody is entitled to their opinion but this is not one that I agree with. I think the Regiment is a good organisation. Everybody starts out not wanting to be there but, by and large, by the end of it everyone agrees that the benefits that are reaped are worth it."

He said the officers at Warwick Camp had been commissioned by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which is "probably the best military school in the world".

Lt. Col. Burch added: "Being conscripted to the Regiment is the price every young man has to pay for living in paradise."