The Shadow Minister of Social Rehabilitation says gang culture in Bermuda must be regarded as "a national emergency".

Senator Jeanne Atherden is calling for the creation of a Minister for youth development and a review of all Government programmes.

She said: "We must intervene before we lose a generation of children."

Sen. Atherden said the latest shooting incident on Tuesday, in which a 19-year-old was injured in Paget, was another sign that "Bermuda is losing touch with large numbers of our young people".

Referring to an interview with gang members in Friday's The Royal Gazette, the Opposition Senator said: "The remarks of those young people interviewed by the daily newspaper for this morning's horrifying article make it clear that we must intervene before we lose a generation of children to the slick, but ultimately mistaken and self-serving justifications expressed.

"We are particularly concerned about the vulnerability of children between the ages of ten to 14 to the allure of this kind of lifestyle.

"The allure of gang membership, the dark thrill of violence, the spread of gang culture and the prevalence of drugs are winning over many young Bermudians to a lifestyle that challenges what makes our society work law and order, collective effort, community spirit and personal growth.

"We need to treat this situation as a national emergency in order to bring to bear the focus and the resources necessary to change the situation for the better, just as we would for any other emergency."

Sen. Atherden said: "In the first instance we recommend the Government appoint a super Minister with special responsibility for youth development. The new Minister would be equipped with the mandate to do whatever is necessary, across all ministries, to alleviate the situation.

"We see this approach as essentially the same in nature as the Government's very recent creation of a public-private partnership to build the new hospital. It is a creative measure, undertaken on a temporary basis to deal with a particularly challenging issue.

"Existing programmes to help young people cope and adjust with the challenges of modern life must be reviewed for their effectiveness. While some programmes may warrant expansion, others may need to be adjusted or even cancelled.

"We should also pull together the best approaches to the problem and, in this, recommend a concerted effort to listen to the views and thoughts of the people who are close to the situation social workers, teachers, community-based churches, social activists, and those at the centre of the problem the young people themselves.

"What is clear beyond doubt is that programmes and support now in place are not enough to meet the existing challenge."

She said: "The current situation whereby more and more young people are being recruited by the criminal element poses an immediate and long-term threat to society."