The time for meeting and talking about Natchez’s crime problem is long past.

Now is the time for leadership and action.

In what has become an almost annual event, Natchez sees a rash of crime. Upset citizens look to the city’s leadership for answers.

The response is often a series of community meetings, discussion, but no action.

Rather than more talk, now we need our leaders to address, make plans to resolve the problems and implement those plans.

The mayor and police chief need to sit down now and create that plan. Their plan needs to be clear, assigned, accepted and implemented. The plan needs to be encouraged by all who have a stake in its success and backed by the board of aldermen.

A resident Tuesday night told aldermen of a recent incident in which she held a would-be burglar at gunpoint, waiting 20 minutes for police to arrive, only later to learn no report was ever filed.

That is unacceptable.

Based on other community complaints, this situation is not unique. Public faith in the department is damaged. Decisive and immediate action is needed.

Natchez residents — all residents — deserve better police protection, and that starts with better leadership from the top elected and civic leaders of our city.