Bermudians travelling to Atlanta are coming back with “degrees in gangsterism”, National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief has said.And admitting that jailed gangsters cannot be fully isolated in Westgate, Mr Perinchief called for tougher confinement measures. He said also that an “integrated gang task force” is in the works.Mr Perinchief’s remarks came during a town hall meeting on guns and gangs at Vernon Temple Church. Speaking before a gathering from constituencies 29 and 30, the Minister said also that the newly-formed Community Development Ministry under Michael Weeks would help connect authorities with parents and young people.He told Southampton residents: “As you know, since being appointed Minister, my primary focus has been on gang-related violence and shootings. There have been at least four people shot in the time that I’ve been there.”Noting that Bermuda has always had gangs, the Minister said that until recently most Bermudians had been in denial of the growing problem.“But I think with our people studying overseas, going on the Internet and making associations in the Caribbean, it’s changed.”He added: “With Atlanta in particular, we’ve found that some people have been getting their degrees there, and some were getting degrees in gangsterism.”Pointing out that the upscale community of Fairylands just started a neighbourhood watch, and that primary school children are increasingly attracted to the gang image, he said “none of us is impervious to this” and warned parents to monitor their children’s use of BlackBerrys and social media.As well as blaming spiralling tit-for-tat shootings, Mr Perinchief attributed rising violence to the shrinking of the economy. “Poverty breeds crime,” he said.“The gang culture is not going to go away. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are some gang members who are rational and trying to bring closure to the shootings, although of course there is still bad blood going around.”Saying there are at least “40 to 50 gang people” currently in prison, he said: “That’s causing a situation in our prison system. I wish, once we get the legislation in place, to take these people and isolate them somewhere else. Some people may look at it as a punitive exercise, but the purpose is to isolate. They can’t be isolated successfully in Westgate.”Along with Health Minister Zane DeSilva, and Sergeant Scott Devine and Pc Cerepha Bridgeman from the police, the Minister fielded questions from a gathering of about 30 people from the area.Mr Perinchief was asked how effective new surveillance cameras had proven in Barnes Corner, the Paget stoplights and the Crow Lane roundabout, and whether police had made use of new powers such as being able to go into cellular telephone records.“With the technology that the police have, you can see the direct results in the amount of criminal assets that are confiscated,” Mr Perinchief said.“CCTV cameras are extremely good, and capable of being connected to the little electronic tracking devices in cars.”Mr Perinchief was asked to what extent surveillance allowed police to be “proactive instead of reactive”.“What I can’t expose is what I would consider covert surveillance,” Mr Perinchief said. “Having said that, the prosecution for conspiracy to commit a crime has not been as extensive as it could be. Proving these cases is not easy in court. We will see a strengthening in such things as confiscation of assets, and quite often when you see someone arrested for conspiracy to import drugs, that comes out of surveillance.”The Minister was asked what was being done to try to get parents more closely involved with Child and Family Services.Noting recent legislation put forward under former Attorney General Kim Wilson, Mr Perinchief said parents were being made more accountable.“Generally in our society, people don’t like too much Government intervention,” he said. “But when the dysfunction is so bad that it starts to break out into society, we have to, and I think coming up you’re probably going to find some people that are unhappy with Government because of it.”‘He said there had been a shift in Family Services, and “a much more enlightened process with our family courts”.Constituency chair Valerie Dill responded: “If we have those types of meetings, the people that we need to reach out to don’t come. The concern that I have is that until we sort education out, all the good things that you are trying to do will not happen. The things that are starting to happen in our middle schools are horrendous, and three quarters of it is a result of parents.”Ms Dill said more children needed to be involved in church activities but added: “I don’t know how we can do it.”Mr Perinchief responded: “It seems that the churches have venues such as this that provide space for us to meet. This is the second that I have had a town hall meeting in. But unfortunately, it is those who are outside its walls that are creating the havoc.”Reverend Pedro Castro of Vernon Temple countered that the church had a responsibility to “reach out to those who are not involved”.Rev Castro said his church had been closely involved in providing meals and other services to the community. “We are reaching out and partnering with the community, not just trying to get people into Vernon Temple,” he said.“We just have to tell our story better.”