Bermuda will be borrowing ideas from anti-gang initiatives in the United States as authorities try to get to grips with the Island's spiralling gun violence.Methods championed by the Interagency Anti-Gang Task Force yesterday included Brooklyn's Save Our Streets programme, where faith leaders work at street level in shooting-plagued areas while Government focuses on providing links to education, parenting resources and housing.A press conference was held yesterday after Bermuda representatives spent a week in New York and Boston looking at 12 anti-gang models they could adapt for the Island under the Volunteer Visitors Exchange initiative.Acting National Security Minister Michael Weeks said a report will be released in the coming weeks saying how the most appropriate ideas can be implemented in Bermuda.Commissioner of Corrections Eddie Lamb stressed the best results seem to come from combining the efforts of everyone in the community.“A join-up approach is beneficial as Bermuda looks to resolve and or decrease this growing issue with gangs and gun violence,” he said.“The join-up approach must also include 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.“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.”Lt Col Lamb suggested research on where the Island's guns are coming from would be a major help stopping them being trafficked.“Knowing the source of guns can be very useful in counteracting their use,” he said.“For example, it has been determined that 80 percent of the guns in Jamaica come from three 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.”Assistant Police Commissioner David Mirfield said: “The collaboration approach is the most important thing. It's a challenging thing to get off the ground. Everybody needs to work together for the positive solution.”Mr 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.”The trip was set up by a partnership of Bermuda Government and the US Consulate.US Consul General Grace Shelton said: “This exchange exemplifies the strong collaboration between our two countries. Bermuda decided on the programme focus and the State Department organised and funded the exchange, which gave the team a chance to look at a broad range of programmes to see what might be adaptable for Bermuda.“The trip also provided an excellent networking opportunity for team members. We hope that they can draw upon the contacts made during the trip in the years to come.“But the exchange experience is not only about Bermudians learning about American programmes, it is also a mutual exchange of ideas between Americans and Bermudians. It provides a superlative networking opportunity for both sides.”Bermuda's representatives on the trip were: Education Permanent Secretary Warren Jones, Director of Public Prosecutions Rory Field, Lt Col Lamb, Mr Mirfield, Director of Child and Family Services Alfred Maybury, Senior Probation Officer Derek Flood, Assistant Chief Immigration Officer Danette Ming, Assistant Collector of Customs Tracy Kelly, National Security policy coordinator Vernon Wears and Justice Ministry policy analyst Livingston Wedderburn.