As if it was needed, Wednesday’s shooting incident provided some timely reminders about Bermuda’s crime problem.The first is that nowhere and no one is safe. Anyone who thinks they are is going to get a surprise. The second is that there is no room for complacency in the fight against crime. Anyone who declares the fight against crime is being won is going to be embarrassed when the next shooting takes place.That’s not to say that it is not a fight worth fighting or that progress is not being made. Bermuda cannot afford not to end the crime wave and progress is being made. But that does not mean it will be easy or that there won’t be reverses like Wednesday’s. And it should be noted that it was only sheer luck that no one was wounded or killed.No one should be shocked that there was a shooting at Trimingham Hill in Paget, with all the connotations that carries, just as they are no longer shocked when there is a shooting incident on St Monica’s Road. The bullet leaves the barrel in the same way wherever it is fired, and the value of the people wounded or killed is no different, regardless of who they are or where they are. What it does suggest is that criminals are becoming more brazen, and it may be that the increase in Police presence in known gang areas is forcing people out into other areas.Bermuda has been fortunate in recent months that there have been fewer incidents than there were at the height of the crime wave. There are many reasons for that, including the success of the police and prosecutors in arresting and convicting some of those responsible, and heightened community awareness.But Wednesday’s incident shows that you can never drop your guard. What is needed is steady work, continual vigilance and the knowledge on the part of criminals that they will be caught, convicted and sentenced for long periods in prison.On that note, it was heartening to see National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief’s meeting with community police officers and neighbourhood watch group organisers this week. As Mr Perinchief said, the fact that people are organising to take back their streets in their neighbourhoods offers the best possible hope to ending gang violence.CCTV and an increased police presence are also critical, but the long term solution lies with ordinary people saying they will no longer put up with crime where they live.At the same time, Bermuda must get to grips with the root causes of gang violence and move to solve them. The fact that there are disaffected, young people who turn to violence and gangs has to be solved by the community. The fact that the majority of those involved are young black males, many of them (though not all) from underprivileged homes, must also be taken into account.Although people could be forgiven that the shooting deaths of the last two years erupted out of nowhere, their causes did not occur overnight. Solving the problems will take time too. Creating a society where everyone has an opportunity to fulfill their potential will not happen quickly, and even if such a happy state is reached, it will not end violence fully.But a society built on a sense of equality and mutual respect where bad behaviour is condemned and not condoned will certainly reduce the problem. Perhaps it is naive to think that it is possible. But the alternative does not bear thinking about.