Bermuda's 293 Justices of the Peace — as well as people over 65 — could soon start sitting on juries, Attorney General Kim Wilson revealed yesterday.

And Sen. Wilson said expats could also be considered as Government looks to widen the pool from which a jury can be selected. She said the move was needed after cases such as the Kellon Hill murder trial were delayed because of the difficulty selecting jury members from those available under the current system.

"Members of the public will be aware of the recent challenges that have arisen in the Supreme Court with respect to jury selection as a result of the disqualification and exemption of large numbers of persons from jury duty," Sen. Wilson told a Throne Speech press conference on Tuesday.

"In particular, there appears to be a reduction in the number of persons who qualify for jury service. In these circumstances, trials have been delayed until sufficient persons are identified for jury selection thereby compromising the effective administration of justice.

"Consequently, amendments to the Jurors Act 1971 will be introduced to increase the pool of persons from whom a jury may be selected."

The Justice Minister also provided further details on initiatives announced last week to tackle robbery, introduce electronic tagging and tighten up liquor licensing legislation.

She said penalties will be increased when victims are subjected to violence during robberies.

"Coupled with the rehabilitation initiatives which are available for offenders, it is hoped that the number of repeat offenders, who are responsible for the commission of a significant percentage of crimes, will decrease over time," she said.

Regarding tagging, she said the Ministry is researching options including:

• offenders wearing a locked bracelet transmitter so their movement can be monitored;

• placing computerised calls to the offender using voice recognition to determine whether he or she is at the approved location.

She said global positioning satellite technology can now provide a geographical record of where somebody has been, and has been used to track paroled sex offenders in some jurisdictions.

Amendments to the Liquor Licence Act 1974 will include making nightclubs keep a ratio of security guards to patrons and having trained security staff on the premises after midnight; requiring managers and staff to undergo training under a responsible alcohol programme; and imposing a 48-hour waiting period between when a person joins a private club and when that person can use the club's facilities.