The traditional Christmas wish for peace and goodwill for all people is often offered and received as a matter of course, with little real thought about what it means.

Not so this year. With murders and gun crime high on the minds of all Bermuda, this community goes into this Christmas in a gloomier mood than usual, but also with the hope that in the coming year, peace and goodwill will indeed take place.

There is no doubt that the complacency with which many Bermudians have viewed the Island has been irrevocably shaken. And the calm and peace that so many treasure has also been shattered.

The hope today is that there will be no more gun crimes or killings over the holidays, that more families will not join those already mourning loved ones and that people will be able to visit friends and neighbours and share fellowship without fear.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen. But, whatever happens, after the holiday, Bermuda as a community must come together to combat the scourge of gangs and drugs. What is encouraging about the last few weeks is the fact that the community has come together. The Government has dropped its campaign against Government House and the Police and there seems to be a genuine consensus about how to tackle the crime problem.

Grassroots groups are forming and coming together to offer young people alternatives. People are working hard to understand what has motivated people to become involved in gang activities and to value life so little.

None of this has happened overnight. Warnings have been ignored, values have been diminished, the consequences for wrongdoing have been lowered, the education system was allowed to deteriorate and leaders gave poor examples by their actions and language. We are now paying the price of neglect and complacency.

But there now seems to be a recognition that the tipping point has been reached. The work to redress the balance will be that much harder because it has been left for so long. But with a will, a way will be found. The concern now is, ironically, that if Bermuda does enjoy a peaceful holiday season that the community will assume the crisis has past, rather than that it has just gone underground.

Too often, Bermuda has reacted with shock and outrage to violent crimes in the past, only to forget about them when they have passed.

This time has to be different.

This time, action has to be taken.

This time, solutions have to be found and worked until they come to fruition.

This time, there can be no backsliding when people start to complain.

This time, real opportunities have to be presented to those who have lost faith in the future. And if people reject the opportunities offered to them and continue to commit crimes, they need to pay real consequences.

This time, Bermuda has to solve its gangs and crime problem once and for all.

And on that sombre note, we wish all our readers a safe and peaceful Christmas.