We in this country have a mighty far way to go in taming the monster of crime which is literally robbing us of our peace of mind, scaring off nationals overseas who would like to come home and invest, and preventing tourism from growing even faster.

However, any sign of even the slightest fall in crime rates, especially murder, is encouraging and should be commended because the police are working against the odds, with little help from the politicians, who never tire of professing their undying love for country.

Specifically, the police should be applauded for the almost 12 per cent decrease in major crimes which Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake announced Tuesday at the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) quarterly press conference.

Dr Blake reported a fall in crime rates in all major categories, notably homicides, which saw a drop of 14.5 per cent since the start of the year. Shootings are down almost two per cent; robberies, 15 per cent; rapes, 32 per cent; and break-ins, six per cent.

“As at June 30, 2024 we recorded a 14 per cent increase in gun seizures over the same period last year, taking 422 illegal firearms — mainly pistols — off the streets and our communities,” suggesting that for every one per cent of guns seized, there is a one per cent drop in homicides.

We imagine how much more progress would be made in combating crime if our politicians in the two major political parties would heed the calls to take crime out of the political arena and unite the country behind the police.

It’s no secret that criminal thugs get cover from the political parties in the garrison communities were they are useful for keeping the enclave a stronghold of their party. It may mean that the politicians are never to be relied upon to rally their supporters against criminals.

For that reason, we are fully behind Dr Blake, who doesn’t seem to be waiting on any politician in urging Jamaicans to help flush out the criminals wherever they are in this island.

“There are far more lawful and law-abiding people in Jamaica than the lawless and criminal among us. The JCF urges anyone with information on the whereabouts of criminals to come forward as part of a collective effort to ensure justice and restore peace,” Dr Blake urged.

Jamaicans have a vested interest in bringing crime under control. If we needed any more evidence, just look at the most recent business and consumer confidence surveys released by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce.

Pollster Don Anderson, whose Marketing Research Services Limited conducts the surveys, found that business and consumer confidence declined in the April to June quarter due to crime and the cost of living.

While the macroeconomic situation looks good, Mr Anderson said consumer confidence dipped to 169.5 points in the second quarter from 174.7 points in the first quarter 2024, while business confidence dipped to 133 points from 139.7 points.

We in this space fervently hope that the politicians will wake up to the realisation that they will continue to throw taxpayers’ resources down a deep, dark hole chasing shadows, until they find the cojones to unite Jamaicans to fight crime.

Every criminal hideout is known by at least one Jamaican. That’s an unbeatable resource that is still waiting to be unleashed.