Prime Minister P J Patterson last night warned the country's alleged drug barons that more of them are targeted for arrest following the recent spate of high-profile detentions.

Patterson also signalled a major initiative to enforce regulations governing social order as part of a reinvigorated law and order campaign by his Administration, but gave no details.
The initiative was currently being fashioned, he suggested.

At least 10 persons, mostly living in the island's north coast, have been arrested in the past three months and accused of being major narcotics traffickers. One of them, Leebert Ramchararan, was named on US President George Bush's list of drug kingpins released earlier this month.

"As a result of closer collaboration with our international partners, with a greater flow of reliable intelligence and the introduction of modern technologies during the investigative stages, more arrests are to come," Patterson said in a radio and television address.
"These efforts are an expression of our unrelenting determination, working closely with our international partners, to go directly to the heart of the problem of crime and violence in Jamaica," he added.

But the prime minister, in last night's address, made it clear that it was not only the major crimes like drug-trafficking and murder that will get the attention of his Administration.
"As part of the effort to restore law and order, Cabinet has instructed that work be done to establish a specific initiative to restore social order everywhere," Patterson said. "This includes areas such as squatting, the breaking of environmental laws, illegal sand mining and transport violations."

Jamaica has a major problem of violent crime, with nearly 1,000 murders a year giving it one of the world's highest murder rates.
Most of the killings are with guns and they largely take place in inner-city communities between people who know each other.

But murders and other forms of criminal violence often overshadow other law and order problems, the correction of which, some experts insist, is essential for dealing with the bigger issues.
The areas outlined by Patterson are substantial issues in Jamaica, with squatting in particular considered a major problem. Attempts to remove squatters from public and private property often lead to demonstrations and even violence.

Environmentalists, too, often complain of lax enforcement of regulations, leading to serious degradation of the natural environment and contributing to one problem Patterson highlighted last night as he spoke of some of the Government's plan in preparation for the hurricane season - flooding.
He complained about the practice of people disposing of garbage in rivers, drains and gullies. But environmentalists also speak out against issues of the denuding of watersheds by squatters, farmers and coal burners.

"The problems cannot be solved overnight," Patterson said, "but we must press ahead and address all the elements that can contribute to the maintenance of law and order."
However, he stressed that the Administration would need the help of the entire community, if the country is to have a real chance of defeating the criminals.

In an apparent reference to complaints in some communities against the arrest of benefactors, and in one case a demonstration against the detention of an alleged drug dealer, Patterson said: "I make a special appeal to every decent citizen in each community, no matter your present condition or complaint, that you do not engage in unlawful activities or become pawns of those who want to divert the attention of the security forces from their criminal intention.
"Help us to keep the peace, and so put an end to the wanton loss of innocent lives."

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