Plans are in the pipeline to build a new, state-of-the-art residential centre to accommodate Bermuda's young offenders.

Health and Family Services' Minister Nelson Bascome has revealed exclusively to The Royal Gazette Government proposals to build a new home to replace Observatory Cottage -- a remand centre that accommodates up to 12 teenage males who have had run-ins with the law.

The Minister confirmed that more than $2 million has been set aside in next year's budget to finance the project, which should be up and running by the year 2001.

The proposal comes following an incident last week in which four youngsters absconded from Observatory Cottage, the residential unit that rehabilitates males under 16 who have broken the law.

The Royal Gazette understands senior Police officers have expressed concern that youngsters at the Palmetto Road facility are not being properly supervised. One Police insider said that the centre was a continual source of problems for the Police, with youths continually absconding and then resorting to petty crime in order to survive on the street.

The four teens who quit the facility last Tuesday were missing for several days. In the past, social workers at the centre have also come under fire, with some being accused of failing to do their jobs effectively.

Last night Mr. Bascome said: "The facility that the youngsters are in at the moment is completely inadequate.

"The Observatory Cottage's building is very old and there are a million and one escape routes.

"Even before I became a minister one of the things I was adamant about is that juveniles should not be incarcerated alongside prisoners -- we can't have kids being locked up with hardened criminals where they will pick up bad habits.

"The youth development centre will be used to take individuals away from crime. Part of it will contain a secure unit but there will also be educational facilities as well as all the back-up support for our youngsters.

New youth rehab centre planned Although plans are still in the very early stages, it is understood that the old facility could be demolished before work on the new building gets underway.

The new centre will also only cater for male delinquents. Female teenagers will still be accommodated in the Brangman Home.

Residential Treatment Services' coordinator Sharon Merlo defended her department's record and also confirmed that fresh initiatives in the treatment of youngsters were set to be introduced.

"We have increased our services to children and we are now trying to deal with them on an individual basis,'' Mrs. Merlo said.

"We hope to be doing that on a more intensive level in the near future but the reality is that, in Bermuda, we have some unique problems -- because we have a very small community. Removal is not feasible because your connections are just down the street.'' Last week's incident has also prompted one children's charity leader to call for new legislation to protect youngsters.

Sheelagh Cooper, of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, claims it is wrong that some youths can end up in care even though they have not broken the law.

She suggested more individual attention should be provided for disruptive youngsters and more funding was needed. She added that she had great confidence in new Health Minister Nelson Bascome.

"We need to re-examine our legislation governing juveniles,'' Mrs. Cooper said.

"As was the case 20 years ago in other jurisdictions and is still the case here, juveniles can be put into a facility such as Observatory Cottage even though they have never broken the law.

"There's something in the legislation that allows parents to take their children and have them placed in a facility.''