The recent wave of youth crime reflects a wider inability of young people to resolve disputes, without resorting to violence experts say.

In the last month there have been numerous cases in the news of juveniles allegedly committing serious crimes: On September 11, a 16-year-old allegedly stabbed a 36-year-old woman; On September 22 a 17-year-old youth reportedly stabbed a female visitor in the chest; On October 3 a 11-year-old boy allegedly held up a nine-year-old at knife point in Dockyard; On October 5, Police reported a 14-year-old stabbed another 14-year-old at school; and Also on October 5, Police arrested a 12-year-old boy for possessing cannabis.

According to Police Insp. Gertrude Barker -- who heads up a Community and Juvenile Service department consisting of a sergeant and six constables -- there has been an increase over the last two to three years in the number of youths committing crimes.

And although Insp. Barker stressed that the problem of minors committing crimes has not yet reached epidemic proportions, she warned "it will perpetuate itself if nothing is done''.

Insp. Barker told The Royal Gazette she felt the recent trend could not be explained by simply saying that Bermuda was reflecting what was going on in the United States.

"Bermuda must stand accountable for its own problems,'' she said.

Insp. Barker also said she believed that the youth-on-youth violence trend was a symptom of the greater problem of a breakdown in the behaviour of young people.

"Kids have little tolerance and ability to communicate with each other without violence,'' she said. "They are not being taught how to communicate with each other.'' Insp. Barker added that the Police were looking at a programme which will give them a greater presence in the schools.

Mrs. Ida James and Mrs. Glenda Edwards, both of Child and Family Services, said they viewed the problem of young people getting involved in violent crimes as a new phenomenon.

"This is a new dimension,'' they said. "Before kids fought with their fists, now they are using weapons.'' And they agreed with Insp. Barker that negative images in the media, poor messages in music, the breakdown in family structure, and a lack of parental guidance and good role models in society were causing minors to commit crimes.

"It is amazing how much violence is on TV every night and rap music has a subliminal effect on kids,'' they said.

They also cited the fact "teachers have too many kids in the class, coupled with other problems, to control everything and modify behaviour''.

"The kids are worse and it's just too much for them (teachers) to handle,'' they said.

However, both Mrs. James and Mrs. Edwards noted that schools have been training students in anger management through Peer Mediation programmes.

Peer mediation was designed to be an outlet for students who find themselves involved in fights or other problems with each other. Through the programme they can vent their frustrations with the help of a student peer mediator.

Student peer mediators are trained in the same areas of conflict resolution that teachers were taught last year in a two-day training seminar.

But some students earlier this year told The Royal Gazette they did not view the programme as beneficial because they believed their "business'' would be circulated around the school as a result the discussions.

Mrs. James and Mrs. Edwards also stressed that "values are not being taught and reinforced in the home and there isn't enough appropriate activities for kids to burn off their energy in a positive way''.

Director of Youth Development Mr. Brenton Roberts said this was not true.

"Their awareness level and the exposure of our programmes to them is what's at question,'' Mr. Roberts said.

He said his department "produced a leisure activity guide three or four years ago and 11,000 copies were printed, so every kid would have one''.

He also noted that the guides were distributed at schools.

"We are doing our best to make sure that every programme is fully utilised,'' Mr. Roberts stressed. "Parents need to get off their laurels and get their kids involved.'' Regarding the recent juvenile crime wave, Mr. Roberts expressed "horror'' and said Bermuda needed "to point out to our young people, with one voice, that we will not stand for such behaviour''.

To those young people who were walking "the straight and narrow'', Mr.

Roberts said: "Continue on despite the fact that you're unheralded. Others will follow you and remember there are hundreds of good young role models out there. Don't let the few bad ones who get in the news and paint a bad picture discourage you.'' President of the National PTA Mr. Ross Smith said he believed in specific, rigid boundaries for young people otherwise, he said, they would not learn acceptable behaviour.

He said he was personally concerned about a recent court case in Magistrates' Court where two schoolboys were charged with sexual assault.

"Because it appeared the girl was a willing partner in the games beforehand, the court felt there was no need to punish them,'' Mr. Smith said.

And he stressed that "Bermudian males must be made aware that when women say no , it means no''.

"We now have the opinion of take what you want. And when it is reinforced by a lack of punishment it gives the impression that women are fair game,'' he said.

With respect to possible solutions to curbing juvenile crime Mr. Smith stressed that the remedy has to start at home.

"Respect for oneself, people, and everything in general all starts at home,'' he said. "When I have no pride in myself I take what I want and don't care about anyone else.

"From the time we come from the womb, our environment teaches us everything.

They must be taught that wrong is wrong, it will always be wrong, and that we have to pay a price for doing wrong.'' Peer mediation appeared to work, he said, "where the teacher has the respect of the mediator and is seen as fair''.

The National PTA president said he felt that problem identification, resolving, and critical thinking should be part of the school curriculum. And he said he had no problem with random inspections of students, without just cause, to search for weapons.

He also voiced the National PTA's concerns about the planned "mega-school'' at Prospect.

"If you can't control 300 students, how are you going to control 800, 900 or 1,000 of them?'' he asked.

Mr. Smith said he would like to see "small, flexible, neighbourhood oriented schools in the east, west and the middle of the Island''.

Asked whether he believed gangs would infiltrate Bermudian schools as they have in the US, he said: "Mostly all the schools have posses which are groups of young men or women who come together to defend each other. So basically we've got them now, although gangs tend to be neighbourhood oriented. But we have a form of them already.'' Everyone The Royal Gazette talked to about youth-on-youth violence agreed with the conclusion put forward by Mrs. James and Mrs. Edwards, that "it's not a job that Social Services, Education or the Police can do alone''.

"It has to be a community (including churches and neighbours) effort,'' they said. "It is everybody's problem.'' CRIME CRM