A community service corps designed as an alternative to service in the Bermuda Regiment could be set up, it was revealed yesterday.

Deputy Governor Peter Willis said: "It would need an amendment to the Defence Act -- discussions are going on, but it's a complex issue.'' The news came after Bermuda's top soldier Lt. Col. David Burch struck an unlikely alliance with pacifist lawyer Rod Attride-Stirling.

Both men have suggested alternatives to army service after two Rastafarians were given permanent deferral to service in the Regiment on the grounds of conscientious objection.

Mr. Willis said: "The Regiment rightly enjoys great public support as an institution. Bermudians are proud of the Regiment and the majority of Bermudians are proud to have served in it.

"But that doesn't automatically apply to everyone and there is no provision for alternative service.'' And Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness, who speaks on Regiment matters in the House of Assembly, said: "I don't disagree that there should be a sense of fairness.

"It's not fair when some young people have to serve their time in the Regiment and others just go about their business. If they don't want to be in the army maybe there should be some other type of community service.'' It is understood talks between Government and Governor Lord Waddington started in 1995 after Mr. Attride-Stirling won the right not to serve in a landmark decision by the Court of Appeal.

Earlier, Mr. Attride-Stirling had been ordered by Supreme Court to serve as a soldier -- but in a non-combat role like a cook or stores clerk.

But Mr. Attride-Stirling argued that any Regiment service violated his right under the Bermuda Constitution not to join a military organisation.

And the Court of Appeal ruled that conscientious objectors could be granted total exemption from army service because of their beliefs.

Mr. Attride-Stirling represented ex-Privates Brian Harvey and Juvaughan Sampson at an Exemption Tribunal last month which ruled that the two were conscientious objectors and should not be forced to serve. The ruling was upheld by Lord Waddington.

Embattled Lt. Col. Burch has not yet stuck his head out of the trenches and returned calls from The Royal Gazette .

But Mr. Attride-Stirling said: "I have always been involved in various charitable organisations -- anything which achieves the aim of getting people to serve the community I would personally be supportive of. Looking at what we have now, anything would be an improvement.'' But he said service in another uniformed organisation like the Police Reserves could also present some problems and he would have to see firm proposals before commenting further.

And he added that he thought the Regiment was a waste of millions of dollars a year which could be better spent on things like educational scholarships.

Mr. Attride-Stirling said: "A better idea would be to scrap the army altogether and have this national service which applies to everyone, men and women. I'm sure something could be worked out which is better than the current waste of money.'' Rastafarians Mr. Harvey and Mr. Sampson were officially notified yesterday that they would not have to serve as soldiers.

Mr. Harvey hit the headlines after being conscripted into the part-time Island army last month.

He was handcuffed and forced into a chair in the centre of the Regiment's Warwick Camp after a struggle broke out over his refusal to join an early morning queue for a regulation haircut.

After his hair was clipped, the raw recruit was frog-marched to a Regiment cell and locked up for several hours.

It is not known whether Mr. Harvey will continue with a Supreme Court action asking judges to rule whether his detention after the haircut was legal.

Defence Department officials have stressed that the two men were not exempted because they were Rastafarians, but because they were ruled to be genuine conscientious objectors.