There is a strong sense of fear in the society, as an unexplainable wave of kidnapping and rapes and other crimes sweep across the nation.

Daily news reports tell stories of how students or women have been abducted, raped and in some cases murdered. THE WEEKEND STAR reported the police as saying some men have been posing as taxi drivers in order to pick up unsuspecting victims.

The Tuesday STAR told an even stranger story of how men in sections of western Jamaica have been attempting to catch their prey with rope. Thankfully they have not yet succeeded.

However, many of us ask a greater question, what is going on in the society? Why are so many kidnappers running wild on our streets? Why are children not even safe from the preying bunch and why are they doing this?

Extra careful

We do not know, but all we can say is that we have to be extra careful and cautious about where we go, who we travel with and generally of our surroundings.

There needs to be a continuous effort on the part of the police via the media to warn the public about the kidnappers and the strategies they have been using. In addition, safety tips need to be constantly circulated until people recognise that what is taking place is serious, and only they can truly protect themselves.

We also encourage law-abiding citizens to again hand over the criminals to the police. They are doing more harm than good. Everybody is scared and something has to be done immediately to return some semblance of safety and security to the society.