I must commend Colonel Mac-Millan in his new role as minister of national security for our crime-ridden nation, and also for his foresight that it is the elements of crime that needs to be tackled as well as the crime itself.

I am pleased to see that the prime minister has chosen someone who will be impartial and steadfast in his doings and who has not been tainted by the 'don' influence.

Colonel, I sure hope you can help break the cycle of violence in our communities. Hold those politicians who encourage it responsible and, furthermore, enlist the help of some of the good men and women who served with you in the military.

I think this no-nonsense minister will do a stellar job and bring about a decrease in crime. He is a man with vast experience in the area of security and this has to be what his performance will be based upon.

He will make a difference, and we, the good Jamaican people will stand behind him 100 per cent to help him succeed.

One of his stated intentions is to get rid of the corrupt cops in the force. Once this is done, the tie that binds the criminals with the bad elements in the police force will be ruptured.

Colonel MacMillan has cited this as one of the problems to tackle because he recognises that this plays a pivotal role in the security forces' ability to beat back crime.

Criminals, watch out! Put down your stupid guns. Get a job for chrissakes! Your days are numbered.

The goodly colonel must fail. The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has shown no plans to deal with the monster of crime.

Unfortunately, no substitution of ministers will help the situation. I see the colonel being given a basket to carry water. If the inputs have not changed, how can we expect the outcome to be different?

In order for any security minister to succeed, we need a holistic approach. We need new laws on our books, improvements in the justice system and courts. Our limited resources should be better utilised to maximise their effects.

The respect for life and liberty has to be fostered in the community. There are many little things the government could be doing but it is not being done. (But that's another letter.)

Lastly, as one of the unemployed in this country, I am still waiting for the investors who just wanted the government to change to come in and provide jobs for us.

Anyway, I wish the colonel all the best, because all of us, JLP or People's National Part,y are under the gun (even in the middle of the day). We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.(Winston Churchill)

I do think that Trevor will make a difference based on the fact that he knows what the crime situation is all about.

But please be reminded that no man, no matter who, can solve this crime situation. There can be a dent in it but not a large one. The second thing is that I feel if they give Adams some amount of authority, some amount of crime will decrease.

Yes, I do believe that Colonel MacMillan will do a better job. Derrick Smith was too laid back.

I welcome the move by the prime minister to replace Derrick Smith with former police chief Colonel Trevor MacMillan as minister of national security. I will pray for God's blessing on him and Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, both former army men.

I must pay special tribute to Smith and pray that he will recover to good heath soon, I call on all churches to join me and others to pray for him.

It is important that the new minister ask all churches across the island to a special Sunday service for the Jamaica Constabulary Force.