There is something we all want — no matter who we are or where we live — and that’s to feel safe. Safe in our homes. Safe on our streets. Safe in letting our children go to school or hang out with friends. And when that safety is threatened by violence, by tragedy or by the loss of a loved one to a crime that remains unsolved, it shakes all us to our soul.

I have been in enough homes where families are still waiting for justice to know that no speech, no headline and no political back-and-forth will take away that pain.

What people want is real action. What they deserve are real results.

That’s why I was disappointed to read the recent op-ed from the One Bermuda Alliance. Not because the Opposition raised concerns — every Bermudian has a right to speak up — but because instead of offering solutions, Robert King offered political rhetoric.

Here’s the truth: the election is over.

The people spoke. Loud and clear. Now it’s time to put the politics aside and get to work. Because crime doesn’t care who you voted for. Violence doesn’t ask what party you belong to. And the people we serve deserve more than political games. They deserve real collaboration.

In this government, we have been focused on doing just that. We’ve invested in strengthening the Bermuda Police Service. We’re supporting violence-intervention teams and expanding access to mental health and youth support. And we’re working closely with families, communities and the courts to deliver justice.

Is the work finished? No. Are the challenges real? Absolutely. But we will not stop until every Bermudian feels secure, and no one feels forgotten.

We welcome constructive ideas from anyone, anywhere. If the OBA wants to come to the table, meet with the Bermudian men and women fighting this issue every day on the front lines, and help to build something better for our people, the door is open. But if it just wants to throw stones from the outside, it would be doing a disservice to the very Bermudians it claims to represent.

This challenge and this moment demands more than sniping from the sidelines and political games. It demands partnership. It demands compassion. It demands leadership.

• Michael Weeks is the Minister of National Security and the MP for Pembroke East Central (Constituency 16)