On Violence'' has attracted the attention of the people in a way not often seen in Bermuda where events of this kind can pass with little participation except by those directly concerned. But a discussion of the causes and the means of preventing violence has attracted wide public interest.

We think the public interest is evidence of general concern over the growth of violence of all sorts in Bermuda today. This tiny Country which was once remarkably free of violence, especially public violence, is now taking on some of the nastier aspects of the urban areas to our west. We say "especially public violence'' because there is real evidence that extreme domestic violence has existed but that it has gone and still goes largely unreported.

More specifically, today's public interest is an indication that the public is willing to do something about violence. Those who think that domestic violence will continue to go unchallenged are now on warning that Bermuda is no longer in a mood to tolerate domestic abuse, especially the abuse by men against women and children.

We think the public should demand that Government adopt what is called the Quincy Model for combatting domestic violence. This is a system introduced in Quincy, Massachusetts, which takes the onus for bringing charges against a batterer out of the hands of the victim and puts it in the hands of the prosecutor. This maximises the victim's safety and increases the accountability of the offender.

There have been a large number of strong and valid messages for Bermuda at the conference which may well be overdue. We think the public should be very concerned about the general warnings on violence, especially about those issued on Wednesday by Dr. Beverly Coleman Miller, an advisor on violence prevention to the US Government. Her strong statements should warn every Bermudian that unless we act we will be in deep trouble.

Dr. Coleman Miller says Bermuda must stop talking "rhetoric'' and start taking "bold steps''. "The fact is we should have stayed awake all night the first day a child brought a gun to school. Bermuda should have stayed awake all night and kept the lights on when the first act of violence in school took place. If you can sleep through one, you can sleep through two and five is no big deal.'' The message Dr. Coleman Miller sends is that Bermuda should act before it has a crisis situation. This conference is, of course, a start but it is only a start. Bermuda has a tendency to see reports and conferences as solutions rather than beginnings. This conference must be seen as a beginning in a search for solutions to violent behaviour.