The fight against crime and criminals must go on until it is won; until our country is free and happy and peaceful as part of the community of man, we cannot rest.

Of course, we have tweaked the quotation by the great South African freedom fighter Mr Oliver Tambo to make a point which remains as urgent as it ever was — that all hands are needed on deck in this urgent fight against crime in Jamaica.

In this regard, while we do not know what plans Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Fitz Bailey has for how he will spend his retirement, we are among those Jamaicans who would love to see his vast experience and skills, even if in a different iteration, remain available to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

We remain hopeful that Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s hint that there may yet be a place for DCP Bailey becomes reality in light of the clarion call from different segments of society for it to be so.

“I have never gotten so many petitions for anyone to remain in their position. I have gotten calls from members of civil society, members of the private sector, just average persons. You have developed a great deal of goodwill in the country,” Mr Holness told DCP Bailey at his September 6 retirement dinner.

“Your leaving the JCF is not a loss to the nation, because I am sure that there will be other areas in which your skills will be most useful and I would want to see you serving in some of these areas,” the prime minister teased.

It is necessary to recognise that this could be asking too much of a man who has served for just over 40 years in one of the toughest and often most thankless professions that any Jamaican will ever serve.

Yet, the daily carnage of innocent lives and the inability to walk the streets of Jamaica with peace of mind are constant reminders of the urgency of bringing violent crime under control.

We welcome the addition of a new voice to our call for the political leaders to put party tribalism aside and unite the country to take the fight to the criminals. Community journalist, Mr Vernon Darby, through his Bark di Trute blog is understandably troubled.

“…The prime minister and leader of the Opposition need to lead us out of this mess by getting the people to unite and fight against the scourge of crime, which is tearing the nation apart… Once again, I am calling for a reserve police force and a section of the force made of young people called Police Cadets.”

Mr Darby’s call for a reserve police force comprising mainly young people obviously needs fleshing out, but represents the desperate cry of a Jamaican who helps to write the daily litany of headlines screaming blood and mayhem.

It is in that context that one appeals for the best crime fighters to remain available to the country. Calling on people to put country over personal ambition and desires is not easy.

For example, there are many who say they would love to see the accomplished Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke stay on. But, at the same time, they recognise how difficult it would be to turn down a job as one of four deputy managing directors of the International Monetary Fund.

Patriotism, in that regard, is almost a foolish call to selflessness that only a special few can acquiesce to.

Still, we hold to the belief that putting Jamaica first is what is necessary to make Jamaica the beloved land we all seek.