AT any other time, but certainly during an election year, the temptation for governments to claim credit for any progress being made in a nation, deserved or otherwise, is overwhelming — irresistible, some might argue.

In the instant case, the current Administration is already taking a bow for the admittedly impressive achievements in bringing down murders and other major crimes, when the numbers so far this year are compared with last year.

To be fair, the Andrew Holness Government is deserving of commendation for the drop in the crime rate under its watch. We have no doubt that for some Jamaicans this is reason enough to return the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to power later this year.

We would caution, however, that no attempt should be made to take all the credit for bringing down crime, as no one Government is able to manage crime without the support of the people.

It is they who pass vital information to the police on the movement of criminals or stand at great risk to life and limb as witnesses in court cases. Not to mention the taxpayers whose money must fund the crime-fighting effort, at the expense of other national imperatives.

To do otherwise would constitute an absolutely immoral and craven act of national theft. Further, given the ebb and flow of crime, dropping one year to rise another, it would be foolhardy for any politician to believe that one side can control crime.

Moreover, if a Government is willing to accept credit for progress on crime, it had better be willing to accept blame if crime should, God forbid, begin to surge again.

It is notable that at the very moment when we are celebrating this long-awaited improvement, the nation is being outraged and embarrassed internationally by a series of brutal killings and assaults on women and girls in this month alone.

These include the sexual assault of two young girls, ages nine and 10, in Old Harbour, St Catherine, on May 7; the strangulation and assault of nine-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on May 9; the vicious physical assault of a nurse in uniform during a road rage incident in Mount Airy, St Andrew, on May 13; and the May 17 discovery of skeletal remains believed to be those of Ms Anisa Dilworth, a missing University of Technology, Jamaica student, in Portmore, St Catherine.

The stark message from this is that the fight against crime is never-ending. This is why in this space we have advocated ad nauseam for crime to be taken out of the tribal, politically partisan arena so that the nation can be united as one to tackle a monster that is no respecter of persons, that does not ask whether its victim is JLP or PNP.

We have noted that while the Opposition People’s National Party has commended the police for its exemplary work, the praise has been somewhat muted, perhaps because the party might not wish to appear to be polishing the image of the Government. This would be ridiculous.

Meanwhile, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has vowed, in a statement commenting on the spate of crimes against women, that the Government “will not rest until our homes, our streets and our communities are safe for every Jamaican”.

To achieve this lofty goal, we will need all hands — JLP, PNP and independents — on board.