Yellowknife (Jun 02/06) - The territorial government is considering taking over the prosecution of some crimes from the federal government, Justice Minister Brendan Bell said Tuesday.

The switch would see lawyers in the territorial justice department prosecute cases that fall under NWT statutes, including the Wildlife, Motors Vehicles and Public Safety Acts.

The move - which Bell said has been under consideration for some time, though not on the immediate horizon - is designed to save the Northwest Territories some money. Right now, the NWT contracts the federal government to handle almost all cases that come through the courts.

"We are seeing more and more complicated trials," said Bell on the opening day of the latest session of the Legislative Assembly.

"The bills are building up."

While NWT justice could not provide an exact dollar figure before press time, Bell said the arrangement is expensive and officials were examining whether it would be cheaper to prosecute territorial offences in house.

The process would involve hiring one or two staff lawyers, Bell said. The NWT has no plans to take over prosecutions under the Criminal Code, however.

Those make up the bulk of the cases in NWT courts.

Bell said his department is in discussions with Ottawa about the potential change-over, but there is no firm word on when, or if, it will happen.

In most of Canada, prosecutions are handled by provincial governments.