Acting Premier Paula Cox yesterday called for Bermuda's community to stamp out the criminal element and demanded to know: "Why are some of us killing each other?"

In a passionate Labour Day speech before hundreds of people at Bernard Park, Ms Cox urged the Island to "get mad as hell" in response to the shooting murder of Shaki Crockwell.

Speaking in the absence of Premier Ewart Brown, Ms Cox, the Deputy Premier and Finance Minister, told the crowd she feared images of a beautiful Bermuda could become a distant memory unless people can unite and heal.

She vowed to "take back control of our families", while stressing the public should not accept poor education results or mediocre leadership as it makes its way forward.

"We do not all look alike, sound alike, act alike, but we have a common tie that binds us: Bermuda," said Ms Cox.

"So why are some of us killing each other? What has gone wrong? What do we do to correct it? Clearly we still have a way to go in terms of our national maturity.

"As Nelson Mandela said, sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. It is our time, our responsibility and our shoulders to up the ante.

"We as a community need to stand up and say that we have had enough. We can't just be a community with the most number of churches per capita, or a community with the highest per capita income, or a community that claims to be a model for the world.

"We need to stand up and say to each other that we will do all that we can to make this a 'Bermudaful Bermuda'.

"We will help our families; we will assist our neighbours; we won't accept the criminal element; we won't accept failure in our students; we won't accept mediocrity from our leaders; we won't accept poor results from our students and the education system. We won't accept less than a fair share of opportunities for Bermudians.

"We need to get mad as hell and say that we aren't going to accept it any more and then we need to put our hands together and start changing things.

"This is an island of fashion and trend setters. Well, fashion isn't what's important now. Our children need us; our elderly need us; our community needs us to pull together and to heal, because we need to heal as a united team and country, or what we know as 'beautiful Bermuda' will become only just a memory of the past, of times gone by."

Pointing to the urgency for Government to act, Ms Cox added: "We cannot have an ostrich mentality. We cannot retreat to the sidelines. We know what needs to be done. We will stay future-oriented."

She said this could be done by creating more affordable homes, a better education system, focusing on sports, maintaining a strong economy and fostering a healthy attitude toward the family.

This afternoon, Mr. Crockwell's devastated family will be at his funeral at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, King Street, Hamilton.

The 25-year-old national team footballer's body was found in a pool of blood at the Railway Trail, Devonshire, on the evening of Friday, August 24. He had been shot in the neck.

After making her speech yesterday, Ms Cox told The Royal Gazette how she reacted to the news.

"There was a collective shock, a ripple of horror that went through the community. I don't think I was unique," she said.

"We have had murders before. It just seems we are losing our young men. We keep saying it, but this has to be a tipping point."

The Minister added her voice to those urging for anybody with information to come forward and help detectives solve the crime, and said she hoped the proposed witness protection programme could help break the Island's code of silence which has blighted murder investigations in recent years.

Witnesses' reluctance to speak has been partly blamed for the failure to convict anybody for either of Bermuda's previous two shooting murders, Shaundae Jones in 2003 and Jason Lightbourne last year.

"Unfortunately, people have always found it easier to be quiet. This just seems to be part of a worldwide problem," she said.

"A witness protection programme — that's what we have heard the Attorney General talk about. That will help.

"We have seen centuries ingrained where it's not done to squeal. We have got to break out of that. But we have to give them a sense of comfort that they will be protected."

In May, Attorney General Philip Perinchief said Government was considering sending witnesses abroad before trial, with continued protection after they have given evidence in court. Since then, a committee has been meeting regularly to discuss the initiative.

Anyone with information on the death of Mr. Crockwell should telephone Police on 299-4239 or the anonymous Crimestoppers hotline on 1-800-623-8477.