Reports this week of growing tensions between rival ‘gangs’ should be of concern to the whole of Bermuda.

Concern turns to alarm when those tensions become ugly and spill into violence, as they did in the early hours of last Saturday outside the Escape nightclub in Hamilton.

Perhaps such incidents should not surprise us. Weekend street brawls in and outside clubs and bars are, after all, a sad but not uncommon occurrence not only in Bermuda, but throughout the rest of the world.

But what is alarming is how last weekend’s incident, which started off as a “verbal discussion” between two individuals, erupted into a “mini riot” in which bottles, pipes and even helmets were thrown and in which one man was hospitalised after allegedly being zapped with a stun gun.

There is another disturbing aspect to Saturday’s flare-up — and Bermuda’s gang culture in general. While some teens were no doubt involved, other protagonists were much older. It is not only groups of rebellious adolescents looking for an outlet for their pent-up frustrations and energy after a boring day in class who have become involved in violence, but also grown men in their 20s and 30s, adults who should know better.

So who’s to blame? Some may point the finger at the Escape nightclub — and nightclubs in general — for not keeping a lid on potentially volatile situations.

That is clearly unfair. While there have been a number of incidents outside the club in recent weeks, security staff on duty on Saturday should be commended for doing everything in their power to contain the violence — from isolating the initial incident, evicting those involved and promptly calling the Police when they realised things were getting out of control. They could do nothing more and it should be remembered that it took several dozen Police officers to eventually quell the chaos.

Bermudians take pride in the fact that we are all part of a close-knit community. Most of us see ourselves as being part of a wider social family, either through school, work, the church, social and sports clubs and other organisations.

It is therefore not surprising that other scapegoats should be singled out for shouldering at least some of the blame for the gang problem resurfacing. The Police, parents, the Government, churches, the media and the community as a whole have all been mentioned this week as potential silent partners.

But while the “moderator” quoted in yesterday’s Royal Gazette may be correct when he said that it takes a village to raise a child, that well-worn cliché is totally inappropriate in the context of Saturday’s incident.

In Bermuda especially, it seems it is all too easy to adopt a collective responsibility when things go wrong, to hide behind a herd mentality and blame society as a whole for society’s ills.

What we should never forget is that, ultimately we are all individuals and we all have to take responsibility for our own actions. To seek excuses in the actions, or inactions, of others is a placebo, not a panacea.

Those involved in last weekend’s horrific incident have only themselves to blame.