Videos: Bermuda/U.S Anti-Gang Exchange Visit

A team from Bermuda, including senior members in Education, Police, Judiciary, Corrections, Immigration, HM Customs, and Child and Family Services, recently traveled to the United States to attend the International Visitor Leadership Project “Gang Interdiction,” which was sponsored by the US State Department’s Volunteer Visitors Exchange program.

Members of the team making the trip included: Warren Jones, Rory Field, Lt. Col. Edward Lamb, Assistant Police Commissioner David Mirfield, Alfred Maybury, Derek Flood, Danette Ming, Tracy Kelly, Vernon Wears and Livingston Wedderburn.

Minister Weeks said, “The Bermuda Team’s key purpose was to gather information on US best practice models for Gang Task Forces and to examine behaviour specific programmes that would better assist Bermuda in addressing and decreasing the rapidly changing and dynamic gangs-on-gangs violence that threatens the community in which we live.”

U.S. Consul Grace Shelton said, “This year’s visit focused on gangs, which the Governor of Bermuda had identifed as a real pressing concern. During one week in May, the team looked at 12 model anti-gang programs in New York City and Boston to decide what they wanted to bring back and adapt for Bermuda.”

Prison Commissioner Lt. Col. Eddie Lambe said, “The main goal of the Volunteer Visitors Exchange initiative was to provide the Bermuda Team with an opportunity to visit model US programs addressing gangs and youth violence with the key objective being that the programs should be adaptable to a small island community and address a broad range of issues including law enforcement, prevention, and rehabilitation.”

Minister Weeks’ full statement is below:

Good afternoon and thank you for coming. I am joined by the US Consul General, Grace Shelton, Director of Child and Family Services, Alfred Maybury, and members of the Bermuda Team for this important initiative.

In the 2010 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Bermuda undertook to bring together all of those agencies that are engaged in the prevention, management and rehabilitation of at-risk members of our society.

Additionally, the Ministry of National Security and the U.S. Consulate General entered into a partnership to share information between the two countries as it relates to identifying key best practices models to address the growing gangs and gun violence issue in Bermuda.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of National Security, a Gang Task Force was formed. The Inter-Agency Gang Task Force (IGTF) was designed on the premise that a cross-Ministry working group would be the ideal means to holistically develop policy addressing the increasing problems of anti-social behaviour and gang related violence. In the upcoming weeks, an update will be provided on the progress of the IGTF working groups.

Ten participants were selected by the initial IGTF members, the Ministries of National Security, Justice, Education, and Youth and Families to travel to New York and Boston from May 16 -20, 2011 to represent Bermuda at the International Visitor Leadership Project (IVLP) entitled “Gang Interdiction,” which was sponsored by the US State Department’s Volunteer Visitors Exchange program.

Members of the team making the trip included the following:

• Warren Jones, Permanent Secretary of Education
• Rory Field, DPP
• Lt. Col. Edward Lamb, Commissioner of Corrections
• David Mirfield, Assistant Commissioner of Serious Crime
• Alfred Maybury, Director of Child and Family Services
• Derek Flood, Senior Probation Officer
• Danette Ming, Assistant Chief Immigration Officer
• Tracy Kelly, Assistant Collector of Customs
• Vernon Wears, Policy Coordinator, Ministry of National Security
• Livingston Wedderburn, Policy Analyst, Ministry of Justice.

The Bermuda Team’s key purpose was to gather information on US best practice models for Gang Task Forces and to examine behaviour specific programmes that would better assist Bermuda in addressing and decreasing the rapidly changing and dynamic gangs-on-gangs violence that threatens the community in which we live.

The Bermuda Team had a variety of interviews with representatives from the following agencies and organizations;

• the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
• the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York,
• the New York Gang Investigators Association,
• the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Public Health division,
• the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center – Save Our Streets (SOS) programme based on the Chicago Ceasefire model, and
• Operation Ceasefire, the Boston Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence.

In a few minutes, Colonel Lambe will give you a more detailed overview of the Bermuda Team’s findings.Now, the US Consul General, will brief you on the Volunteer Visitors Exchange Program.

Thank you.

Prison Commissioner Lt. Col. Edward Lambe’s full statement follows below:

Good afternoon. Thank you, Minister Weeks and US Consul General Shelton.

The Bermuda team included senior members in Education, Police, Judiciary, Corrections, Immigration, HM Customs, and Child and Family Services.

The main goal of the Volunteer Visitors Exchange initiative was to provide the Bermuda Team with an opportunity to visit model US programs addressing gangs and youth violence with the key objective being that the programs should be adaptable to a small island community and address a broad range of issues including law enforcement, prevention, and rehabilitation.

We are very grateful for the hospitality and guidance received from our US host. Each day was fully utilized with carefully coordinated meetings at pre-arranged sites. Introductions and presentations were made, facilities toured and the opportunity was afforded for meaningful exchange of ideas in a question and answer format.

One of the programmes visited that stood out was the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center’s Save Our Streets (SOS) programme. The Crown Heights Community Mediation Center is a unique neighbourhood institution that works to improve community problem-solving, collaboration, and inter-group relations in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Operating out of their storefront offices since 1998, the Center seeks to employ innovative ways to promote community cohesion in their neighbourhood, known for cross-racial conflict and inter-racial gang conflict.

The Center devised the S.O.S program specifically geared toward ending gang related shootings in the community. It utilizes a strategy that included providing residents with links to resources on issues like education, parenting, housing, and immigration; providing support to young people navigating the challenges of a community tainted by violence, drugs, and poverty; and galvanizing neighbourhood, borough, and city stakeholders in order to improve the quality of life for all residents.

Key observations from the presentation

• Its proven track-record in decreasing gang-related gun murders within the Crown Heights community;
• It is funded by various government agencies and relies on the community being heavily involved and working together;
• The focus is on public safety and deals with social issues within the community;
• Identifies specific gangs and targets them;
• Works closely with the Faith-based community in the area who sign a covenant;
• The program has five components:
• Street-level approach
• Public education
• Community mobilization
• Faith leader involvement
• Law Enforcement
• The S.O.S program is modeled on Chicago’s Ceasefire program that looks at changing the mindsets of people involved in violence;
• The Chicago Ceasefire model was selected over the Boston model which was believed too strict and hard-nosed and did not meet the aims of the Center;
• Employs ex-gang members and parolees who conduct neighbourhood shooting responses within 72 hours of an incident;
• Holds events (i.e. barbeques) in hot spots at midnight, for example immediately after shootings occur so as to quell tempers and diminish chances of retaliation;
• Believes in building relationships in the community first.

The common theme from the Volunteer Visitors Exchange program was that Government and its Community (with assistance from the private and non-profit sectors) can work together to solve its problems with a multi-prong approach.

Another recurring theme was the evolving role of law enforcement organizations. It was stated by more than one representative that “law enforcement alone is not the answer.” It is a problem that requires collaboration and community effort in conjunction with law enforcement. Community policing and relationship building between agencies promote information sharing.

To successfully tackle the violent gang problem in Boston, authorities employed a strategy of combining their efforts as well as partnering with other community organizations. The Boston Miracle program came into being because police realized that they could not arrest their way out of the juvenile delinquency situation. A join-up approach is beneficial as Bermuda looks to resolve and or decrease this growing issue with gangs and gun violence.

The join-up approach must also include an education and community-based components. The best information about young people becoming gang members and pertaining to gang activities comes from the schools. School teachers are on the front line of being able to detect the formation of gangs. Gang education in schools should become a part of professional development for teachers.

Data collection is vital if gang violence is to be addressed. Knowing the source of guns can be very useful in counteracting their use. For example, it has been determined that 80% of the guns in Jamaica come from 3 counties in Miami.

Research is needed to determine where and how guns are being trafficked into Bermuda. The results of such research can help to determine how best to protect our borders. Stakeholder interviews and focus groups will be helpful in identifying experiences and solutions.

It takes innovative and traditional approaches that looks at what we have and targeted community mobilization to keep Bermuda moving forward effectively in addressing the problem.

Entering into a partnership which combines the efforts of the Government’s and the Community’s existing services and programmes, along with the private sector and faith-based involvement, working together will promote a transparent collaboration that attempts to offer more positive options for Bermuda’s youth in the fight to proactively reduce the rise of youth and gun violence.

Community engagement that influences behaviour provides rehabilitation and transformational services at all levels from schools to prison.

Thank you.

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