Gang-lore is in its infancy in Bermuda and that gives the Island a golden chance to come together and take action to reverse the trend, according to an American Police officer who has studied the gang phenomenon.

The close proximity of the US and the ease with which cultures can be adopted and imitated is at least partly responsible for the emergence of gangs in Bermuda, but there is also a social disconnect dynamic that plays an even more significant role in why young people are drawn into gang membership, he said.

On the day it became public knowledge that Sgt. Delacey Davis is being brought in to play a role in a $350,000 anti-gang action plan on the Island, the New Jersey cop addressed the second annual Multi-Addiction Conference at the new Berkeley Institute.

And despite his experience of gang culture, he admitted that during an information gathering tour of neighbourhoods on the Island the previous day he had come across at least one area ? the so-called ?42nd Street Crew? neighbourhood in Pembroke ? where he felt ?something wasn?t right?.

There are other parts of the Island that also have gangs or crews who have marked out their territory ? exactly as has happened in the cities and suburbs of the US and beyond.

Sgt. Davis went out in ordinary street clothes to speak to young people. He said: ?Bermuda is a fabulous place to be, but there?s a vibration under the surface.

?One lady said to me ?We don?t need you experts?. I say, your kids walk and talk and look like the kids from America and they are killing people like they do in America.

?I went to find out what the young people want ? their needs and feelings and how they see the world. It was a listening tour.?

Sgt. Davis said he was grateful to Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton for offering him the opportunity to be part of Bermuda?s newly announced action plan to tackle the gang issue. He will be back in Bermuda in two weeks time to learn more and expects to spend as much time as possible on the Island to identify and help put in place solutions.

It is also his intention to bring former gang leaders from America to speak to young people. He said he was sure there is a gang-mentality at work in parts of Bermuda, but added: ?Here it is in an early stage and what is significant is that Bermuda has made a commitment early on to say there is a problem and it wants to address it.?

During his talk at the conference, he produced photographs of walls in Bermuda covered in gang-related graffiti to illustrate the existence of gang culture around the Island, such as Deepdale which some have dubbed ?Cripdale?.

Sgt. Davis, 43, spoke of the rites of passage to join gangs which, for a man, could include surviving a beating for a set amount of time, and for a girl rolling dice to decide how many gang members she must have sex with in order to become a gang member.

?That?s what is coming down the path,? he warned those who believe Bermuda doesn?t need to worry about gangs.

Sgt. Davis spoke of the concept of gangs as family and illustrated the aspects common to both, including addiction, respect, loyalty, love, a code of conduct and values and rules.

Gang recruits are often seeking support, love, and loyalty and other qualities they are not getting from their family or home life.

?If dads don?t give their daughters lap time, other men will make them lap dancers,? he said.

Sgt. Davis wants to see a Bermudian solution to the problem and he is confident, from what he has seen during his visits to the Island since 2003, there are enough good people and a willingness to work together to achieve notable success.

?This Island is small. You have great resources and there is a great willingness for people to work together to find a solution rather than people working in a territorial way,? he said.

?It has to be a Bermudian solution, not an American one. To yank the kid out, you have to replace what the gang is providing them. You have to re-build the self-esteem of your young people.?

He said residents could play their part by helping to mentor youngsters away from the path that would lead to gang membership. Other areas he believes are critical to fighting gang mentality are Police officers being on the streets and visible in areas where gang activity occurs, intervention and prevention through diversion programmes, mentoring and alternative schooling.

Sgt. Davis is due to give the keynote address at the closing of the conference, which is open to the public, this afternoon between 2.30 p.m. and 4 p.m.