Last week's "ride-by" shooting at the recently opened The Swizzle in Warwick helps to explain why, even if overall crime statistics are generally declining, the public is more worried about public safety than ever.

What causes even more concern is that no arrests have been made in this case, or in the Swinging Doors shooting on Court Street in which three people were wounded several months ago.

All give the all too accurate impression that gunmen can walk into, or drive by, public places, open fire and escape without fear of arrest.

That cannot be allowed to stand. A primary responsibility of any government ? with a small g ? must be to safeguard its citizens' safety. This is not being done in Bermuda, and the failure lies not only with the Police but with the whole public safety apparatus.

It goes without saying that the consequences of this lawlessness will be severe. Any community whose members are afraid to leave their homes is a damaged community in which fear rules.

The economic consequences are grave as well. Great efforts are being made by the residents and businesses of Court Street to encourage more people to visit a neighbourhood that for too long has been a no-go area.

But people will not visit a street if they believe they are putting their lives at risk.

Similarly, the efforts being made by Jay Correia to replicate the success of the Swizzle Inn at the former Paw Paws will all be for nought if this kind of lawlessness is allowed to continue, and if that happens, then the tourism industry will fail too.

Sadly, the Government ? with a capital G ? too often sends out mixed messages. Penalties for some crimes are increased in a knee-jerk reaction to the latest outrage, but services for rehabilitation are under-funded or are non-existent.

And on Friday, Public Safety Minister Randy Horton all but admitted that his Government has no immediate answer to the crime problem.

He said: "If you look around the world, don't talk to me about the fact that because we don't have the answer (to violence) tomorrow, we're not moving towards the answer."

What is worrying is that the Government has had seven years to find the answer to violent crime. And it is not as if the recent shootings are a surprise.

The Wellington Oval fights and the still unsolved shooting murder of Shaundae Jones mean that these shootings are no surprise. And yet whenever they occur, the public is subjected to the same round of statements of sympathy and outrage, followed by ... nothing.

What is needed is a sustained effort to tackle the causes of such crime, to give the Police the tools they need to detect and arrest those responsible and to ensure the courts have sufficient powers to deter others and to ensure the public is safe.

There has been no such concerted effort from the Government, and the visit of Premier Alex Scott and Mr. Horton to The Swizzle yesterday, while commendable, is no more a substitute for action than Friday's "debate" in the House of Assembly, in which Mr. Horton seemed to more concerned with attacking the Opposition than dealing with the problem, was.