A growing attractiveness to volunteers is easing Bermuda Regiment’s reliance on conscription, according to commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Brian Gonsalves.The ratio of volunteers to conscripts increased this year, with 19 volunteers out of 84 recruits, including ten women, arriving at Warwick Camp on Sunday morning.Traditionally, search parties have been sent out for conscripts that don’t turn up in order to achieve the desired number of soldiers.However, there was such a good turnout of volunteers and conscripts some had to be sent home as the Regiment was forced to reduce its total to 80 due to budget cuts.Lt Col Gonsalves believes an improved public perception of the Regiment, partly thanks to a behind-the-scenes CITV documentary, has made it easier to lure recruits by their own free will.And he said an increase in the Regiment’s full-time role could encourage enough people to join so that there would be no further need for conscription.“We had a maximum starting number of 80 this year, and yet we had 84 recruits, so we didn’t have to go after anyone,” the commanding officer told The Royal Gazette. “We have done a better job at marketing and have got our website up and running.“CITV did a programme on Recruit Camp 2011, when they interviewed soldiers who talked about how professional, organised and disciplined it is. So people got to see first-hand what it was like.“When we’ve spoken to the recruits so far, they’ve said it’s not as bad as some people have made out in the media.“We are not perfect, but the key message is this is military training, no different to that in Canada and the US.“We want to eventually get to the point where we are all volunteers and don’t have conscription.“I would put my name on the line to say if it’s made a full-time career, I know there’s a lot of people out there that would be interested in a full-time Bermuda Regiment military role.“I truly believe there are more Bermudians out there that would rather put on a military uniform than a police uniform.”The rates of pay are roughly the same for the Regiment and Bermuda Police Service, said Lt Col Gonsalves.