Two stories published in yesterday’s edition highlighted the stark reality of Jamaica’s seemingly unending struggle with the forces of lawlessness and the total disregard with which some of us treat property owned by others.

We speak of the brazen daylight robbery committed on nutrition and lifestyle consultant, Ms Heather Little-White last Friday and the callous, calculated and evil fleecing of Mr Michael Young and an unnamed woman by a contractor they both employed to build houses for them in St Mary.

Mr Young, a Jamaican who has lived in the USA for 34 years, told this newspaper that he had already paid US$156,000 to the contractor who had sent him pictures showing work that had supposedly been done on his house in Spring Valley, St Mary. However, when Mr Young came to the island two weeks ago, he saw no house on the land he had bought. In fact, all he saw was the foundation of a retaining wall — work that he had seen a year before.

In the lady’s case, she had paid the contractor US$345,000 as agreed. However, after realising that she was being overcharged when the contractor requested another US$72,000, she refused to hand over another dollar, despite his frequent requests for additional funds.

As was to be expected, the contractor cannot now be found and, by his dastardly deed, has violated these two persons and set back considerably that which they have worked so hard to achieve.

Ms Little-White’s experience, we’re sure, is particularly painful, given that almost 11 years ago she was paralysed by a gunman’s bullet in an attempted carjacking, and two years ago her house was burgled.

That she would feel frustrated by her experiences, especially for the fact that the police have so far not been able to help her, is not surprising. We therefore understand fully her doubts about continuing to live here, even as she voices what she regards as her calling to stay in Jamaica and “try and help people live better lives”.

The sad fact though, is that Ms Little-White’s thoughts are reflective of those held by many Jamaicans living here. Indeed, her experience, as well as those of Mr Young and the other lady fleeced by the contractor, are symptomatic of a society that has grown coarse and cold; a society in which too many people still believe that it is okay to sit back, relax and prey on others who, by dint of hard work, have made good of their lives.

We have often said in this space that until we get to the point where each citizen appreciates that life’s rewards do not come without sacrifice, and that each person is entitled to respect, we will continue to be plagued by crime.

Almost 11 years ago, Ms Little-White came perilously close to meeting her end simply because she refused to give up what was hers to scum who felt that they had a right to take what was not theirs. Thankfully, she survived, albeit at a heavy price.

Thousands of other Jamaicans, however, have not been that lucky. They have fallen to what Ms Little-White aptly described as the “monster of crime” that “has overrun most of the good we have come to know about Jamaica”.

We said it yesterday, and it necessitates repeating today: if fighting crime is a priority in the minds of our leaders, all possible steps should have been taken to accelerate the six crime bills that have been tabled in the Parliament and that are meant to make life more difficult for criminals.

It is the State that should be giving criminals hell, not the other way around.