Long-term defence department plans include the prosecution of those who fail to register for military duty.

When Bermudian males become 18 years old, they are supposed to register for the conscription ballot at either Warwick Camp or Hamilton Police Station.

But the process began slipping in the early 1980's due to lack of enforcement and, some believe, the lack of enforcement led to recent low recruit numbers.

Larry Burchall, Defence Department head, said he plans to ensure people comply with the law in regard to registration.

The current working process involves the Defence Department using birth certificates as ballots -- then randomly selects the amount of people needed for the Regiment's manpower requirement.

Mr. Burchall said the registration issue is the "other pincer of a crackdown'' on conscripting troops.

Among his plans, he said he hopes to make the registration process easier by dropping off the forms at high schools.

"It takes less than five minutes to register,'' he said. "The register is what is required by law.

"And when you disregard one law, you find it easy to disregard the second and third and tenth and so forth.'' Once an 18 year old signs the registration, their current names and addresses are put into the ballot, rather than their birth certificates.

Mr. Burchall noted that other Government documents used to contact draftees, such as birth certificates, could be several years out of date.

"What we're looking for is the law to be followed. It's up to the citizen to follow the law as it applies.'' Mr. Burchall said in the 1950's, conscription was taken very seriously and people were prosecuted.

"It doesn't matter in the sense that the numbers and names won't be different.

"What does matter is coming back to complying with the law.'' Mr. Burchall said it was similar to range-work with a rifle, explaining that if one safety precautions slips -- then it will follow down the line with further slip-ups.

"And that's what's happened here.'' But Mr. Burchall said it could be a little while before the first prosecution takes place.

Ideally, he said, he would establish a procedure so people could identify when they were supposed to register or be prosecuted.

"Every month, I will be able to publish a list of names of people who haven't registered,'' said Mr. Burchall.

He said an example would be if someone failed to register on their 18th birthday in January -- being born in January -- the list would be published with their name on it in February.

Those who fail to register after the February list was published would be prosecuted in March.