In the last several months, there has been all sorts of criminal mayhem on this island. Not just run-of-the- mill crimes, but brazen crimes— things that require skill, effort and malevolent creativity.

In the dark hours of a Monday morning this month, three thieves drove a pickup truck through the glass doors of Macy’s Ala Moana and grabbed display cases full of jewelry. A week earlier, a similar smash-and-grab happened at Macy’s in Kahala Mall where a vehicle was driven right through the glass doors near the women’s and jewelry section. Apparently, it worked so well the first time, the crew was inspired to try again.

Then there are the stories of the lug nuts being loosened from the tires of cars parked at an east Honolulu shopping center. This happened in broad daylight, and the victims were away from their vehicles for only as long as it takes to go to Safeway or Longs.

Just this week, there are reports of yet another new crazy crime where a thief slides under a parked car (a favorite being the Honda Element) with an electric saw and cuts off the catalytic converter to be sold for the bit of precious metals inside for maybe $60. Dang it all, even if you had never heard of a catalytic converter and have no idea if your car has one, now you have to worry about this too? (It does and you do.)

The trio of carjacking suspects, one of whom was shot and killed by police Tuesday night, may be responsible for some of this, but not all of it.

There are criminals roaming around Oahu pulling stuff as brash as Walter White and Jessie Pinkman in the van with the magnet. Armed car jackings. Daytime home burglaries. Scary stuff, probably drug-fueled and desperate. The kind of thing that an alarm system, security camera and self-defense classes can’t keep away.

The City Council can spend hours talking about straws and dogs and the mayor can talk about “activating” parks and other euphemisms for building on top of public green areas, but what Oahu residents and visitors want most — even more than traffic solutions, even more than homeless solutions, even more than reliable trash pickup and roads without potholes — is to know that they are safe, that their stuff is safe and that crazy, brazen criminals aren’t roaming wild around our streets like some post-apocalyptic dystopia.

Meanwhile, Honolulu does not have a city prosecutor on the job. Keith Kaneshiro is collecting a paycheck but he’s staying home and taking his dog for stroller walks on the civic grounds around Honolulu Hale.

There is a mayoral election coming up, and when we’re talking themes and issues for the mayoral campaign, let’s talk about law enforcement. Let’s not push this on the police commission or the chief. Let’s ask what exactly the next mayor will do to fix this.

Public safety is a foundational issue. If people aren’t safe and their stuff is vulnerable, nothing else matters.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.