Enough cannot be said about the island's age-old problem of crime and violence and the urgent need to tackle it.

According to a front page story in Monday's Gleaner, a recent poll conducted reflected what many Jamaicans have believed all along, that crime is the number one concern.

The story reported that 72 per cent of the 1,008 polled Jamaicans think crime and violence is still the most urgent problem. The story also further noted that Jamaicans believed the main reason for the high crime rate was unemployment, followed by poverty.

But while the poll has brought renewed attention to the crime problem, it has also raised concerns about the need to address social issues as they are possibly the main cause for the crime problem.

Finding a job has been a concern for several Jamaicans who point out that because so many persons are not working, they are getting involved in illegal things.

Poverty was also another social problem that the people noted needed to be addressed as it was also a contributing factor to the crime problem.

What the poll definitely suggests is while the Government has been investing resources in fighting crime from the police standpoint, they also need to be investing money in solving these social concerns.

Crime does not just happen, it has to be linked to something and finding that root cause and tackling it will definitely reduce the crime rate and result in a safe Jamaica with opportunities for all.