A government gang violence consultant has written a book about the origins and causes of gang culture.

Gang Violence Is By Design: Exposing the Lie, by Leroy Bean, seeks to highlight “the systematic entrapment that has been used as a catalyst and a haven whereby many behaviours derive”.

A preview of the book on the Amazon website reads: “There is a myriad of ideological beliefs and copious opinions presented today on the topic of gangs. Many questions have arisen on its origin, and some have even queried whether it is by design.

“In this book, Gang Violence Is By Design: Exposing the Lie, Pastor Leroy Bean endeavours to explain a postulation that has gone unaddressed for years.

“This book presents a panoramic perspective and awareness that will help countries recognise and address the root cause that has been camouflaged within our society for centuries.

“Pastor Bean is not trying to minimise one's personal or collective responsibilities regarding the choices they make, but rather expose the systematic entrapment that has been used as a catalyst and a haven whereby many behaviours derive.

“Pastor Bean hopes many will identify and understand the systemic cause that has been responsible for dividing and crippling the progression in many countries. His view is that people affected need to wake up and step out of their comfort zones and into their God-given design, which is needed to create the foundation essential for tackling this social epidemic called gang violence.”

The 280-page paperback, which contains a foreword by David Burt, the Premier, has been published by Pen Legacy Publishing and is on sale on Amazon for $24.99.

The publication has drawn fire from the opposition One Bermuda Alliance.

A former Progressive Labour Party candidate, Mr Bean has been the head of the Government’s Gang Violence Reduction Taskforce since 2017.

Michael Dunkley, the Shadow Minister of National Security, questioned why Mr Bean chose to write a book on gang violence but had never spoken publicly about his work.

Mr Dunkley said: “It is interesting that Pastor Bean has written a book about gang violence providing his opinion on its causes, yet the public has heard very little from him where results from his high-paying consultancy are concerned.

“It is public knowledge that Pastor Bean has been a well-compensated consultant of the PLP Government for a number of years now with his work focus being gang violence on the island.

“What are the results of the significant investment in consultancy fees to Pastor Bean and the millions of dollars spent generally on gang violence reduction over the past few years?”

A spokesman for the Ministry of National Security defended the book, claiming that it was written by Mr Bean in his spare time and not while he was on the government payroll.

The spokesman added that Mr Bean has not had a pay rise since 2018, a year after taking the job.

The spokesman said: “Pastor Leroy Bean is employed as a consultant within the Ministry of National Security and is not an employee of the Bermuda Government.

“His fee of $125,116 has stayed the same. Concerning his book, his work on this publication occurred during his personal time and not in his capacity as head of the Gang Violence Reduction Team.”

The spokesman said that Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security “meets regularly with the GVRT and receives regular reports on their activities”.

Neither Mr Burt nor Mr Weeks replied to requests for comment from this newspaper, while Mr Bean could not be contacted.