Children are no longer allowed to play on the streets and tensions are running high among parents.

The sister of a murdered man has been christened just in case she too is shot — that way she will at least go to heaven.

The mother of a recently murdered man spends her days wandering around the home, unresponsive.

These are just some examples of the daily lives for those living in the communities which have seen gang violence and murder in the past two months, according to community activist Carlton Simmons.

While many have focused on the young men at the heart of Bermuda's growing gang problems and the Police response to the mounting violence, he says it is their families and neighbours who have been neglected.

The very people who discover the blood splattered bodies of their loved ones, some riddled with bullets, have been left alone to simmer in their grief and anger without any help from the Government or churches, according to Mr. Simmons.

"All the Premier can say is 'we will have a safe house' and all the Public Safety Minister can say is 'no' when asked for some funding and help," he said. “And you wonder why these young boys want to pick up a gun?

"They have all seen a dead body, blood everywhere, and then they have seen what it has done to their family. Their mother's gone crazy, their little sister is scared and they're angry. The shootings and unsolved murders are turning normal people into ticking time bombs."

Since May last year, four men have been gunned down — three in the space of just 12 days in December. Kumi Harford, 30, was killed on St. Monica's Road, Gary Cann, was murdered in Somerset, and Shane Minors, was shot dead outside his home on South Terrace, Friswells Hill.

Mr. Simmons, President of Youth on the Move, added: “If someone walked into a school or a business and shot people, a company or institution would be grossly negligent if they did not offer counselling to those who saw it and knew the people involved.

"That is what we have here, gross negligence. No one has been to see how these people are coping.

"I have heard three gun shots and I now jump if there is a loud bang at a construction site. What about the children in these neighbourhoods? What about the mothers and girlfriends that are finding the dead bodies? Nobody has been offering these people counselling, that is the bare minimum these communities need.

"And now entire neighbourhoods feel forgotten, their view is 'no one is going to come and save us' as they have seen nothing from the Government. The Police turn up for investigations, but they don't feel the Police will be there at night to protect them."

And Mr. Simmons said that while one or two members of gangs may have gone abroad, the vast majority listened to the concerns of the communities and promised to put guns down for ten days over Christmas. Police have credited Mr. Simmons as an instrumental player in the cease fire.

As for those who feel the gun violence is not an Island-wide problem Mr. Simmons warned: "Not yet."

Since August there have been six home invasions with guns or imitation guns across the Island. One person, Richard Gaglio, was nearly killed when he was shot in the chest.

"This is where it starts," he said. "It starts with them shooting each other, and some people don't think that is a big deal, but it is.

"As Police tighten their net and it is harder to get drugs and drug money, they will turn to armed robbery and then it will be in your neighbourhood. That is what happened in places like Trinidad, and it didn't take very long.

"The resources we need now will seem like a drop in the bucket ten years from now if we don't take control of this thing."

Asked for his views on what Mr. Simmons had to say, Governor Richard Gozney responded: “I think Carlton Simmons has talked usefully to a wide range of people, Government House included, about his concerns and efforts."

Last night the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing David Burch, said in a statement: “Last week, two Government Ministers, Neletha Butterfield and Walter Roban, highlighted in great detail the levels of assistance available to those individuals in need. And we have expressed our particular concern for those families who have been struggling.

"That said, Mr. Simmons is not telling the entire truth and I refer you to the December 24 statements of Ministers Butterfield and Roban outling the advice that these families seek."

• Gunshots were fired in Cooks Hill Road, Sandys, in the early hours of New Year's Day, according to Police. A female resident told detectives she saw an unknown man, standing in the road, discharge a firearm before making off on foot at about 12.20 a.m. The suspect was about 6ft tall and wearing dark clothing. Officers attended the scene and are investigating. Witnesses or anyone with information should contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011, the confidential Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline on 800-8477 or send an anonymous tip via the Crime Stoppers Bermuda website at www.crimestoppers.bm.