Dear Editor,

I read with interest the prime minister's national address of October 3, 2011.  It is a speech filled with enough sound bytes to give the average citizen a glimmer of hope.  He rightly explained that the illicit drug trade during the 1970s and 1980s is a root cause of what we are experiencing today in our country.
He said: "Rampant materialism laid waste to long-held values and positive social mores."  This statement is just the surface of it.  I believe that that culture is just as pervasive today as it was previously.
The prime minister said that offenders convicted of illegal weapon possession will be sentenced to four years in prison.  Even though this is an amendment to previous sentences, I feel that this is still insufficient.  The minister of national security said that 66 percent of homicides are committed using illegal firearms.  The penalty should be a minimum of 10 years.
The PM also discussed the government's crime fighting measures like CCTV, ankle bracelets, more courts and more police officers.  But the most important crime fighting measure is the establishment and maintenance of community service programs.
Of all the sound bytes in the PM's speech, we must not forget a sentence in his conclusion.  He said:  "Unless most of us get involved, none of us are truly safe.  In the end, community engagement and services will be more effective in combatting crime than iron bars and gated communities."
This in my view is the most profound statement in the PM's address and if implemented, it can serve as the ultimate long-term solution to combatting crime and antisocial behavior.
Of course these are just words.  It is time now for action.
 
Yours, etc.,
DEHAVILLAND MOSS

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