A new commissioner of police, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, has been sworn in. This is possibly the most crucial appointment which the new government will make, and we wish him and his administration the very best. The new commissioner comes to his post at a critical time. The hopes are high that this appointment will prove to be decisive in breaking the back of our criminality epidemic.

To say that the new commissioner's plate is full would be the understatement of the year.

He brings to these challenging tasks a formidable reputation. He is known as a person of the highest principle, a disciplinarian who is fearless and tells it as he sees it, no matter who is offended. His commitment is to the Jamaican people of all social strata and he makes no bones about his intention to serve no political master other than the long-suffering people of this country. It speaks volumes of the kind of stature that Commissioner Lewin enjoys that his appointment has been greeted with acclaim by both Government and Opposition. This is as it should be, and we have every confidence that he will strive to pursue an independent course in the national interest, no matter where this may lead.

But one hand cannot clap. In this connection, we were pleased to note that both the Police Officers' Association as well as the Police Federation have welcomed the new commissioner's appointment. This is of the highest importance because no single individual, no matter how committed, can provide the leadership required to deal effectively with our severe security situation. This will require teamwork and support from every level of our security services. It will require adequate resources which must be found, no matter what. It will also require patience from civil society - indeed, this may well prove to be the determining factor.

In his swearing-in speech, Commissioner Lewin emphasised that he intended to bring major changes to the force and to our entire approach to crime fighting. This is highly encouraging because experience has shown that police reform is a vital link in the chain of crime fighting in Jamaica. Some progress has been made in this area already, but the decisive changes have yet to be undertaken. Commissioner Lewin's swearing-in speech indicates that he has every intention of biting this bullet. We trust that the support which he has got from both officers and ranks will remain firm and strong as he embarks on these difficult transformations.

We harbour no illusion that crime reduction in Jamaica is susceptible to any silver-bullet solution or that our new commissioner will be able to wave a magic wand and our agony will disappear. What we expect is not miracles, since, as we all know, there are broader social, economic and political sources for our high homicide rate. What we expect is that the new commissioner, while pursuing more medium-term strategies, will take the short-term action needed to seize the initiative away from the criminals and to give the society the breathing space it so desperately seeks.