THIRTY-FOUR persons were detained by the police in the Grants Pen community yesterday as the security forces, for a second day, brought their new anti-crime initiative to this often troublesome area of Kingston.

Yesterday’s detentions brought to 45 the number of people held in the area since Saturday when the police imposed a limited curfew in sections of the community and engaged in searches of individuals, premises and vehicles for guns, ammunition and suspected criminals.

In fact, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) at the Constant Spring Police Station, which covers the Grants Pen area, said yesterday that five of the men detained yesterday were wanted on outstanding warrants for various crimes in the Corporate Area, including murder, shootings and robberies.

These five, whose names were not released, are to be put in an identification parade this week.

The others, police officials say, are being “processed” and will be released if it is determined that they are not wanted in connection with any crimes.

The government announced the new crackdown on crime a week ago in response to a recent escalation of murders, sending police and soldiers into violence-riddled inner-city communities to enforce curfews, search and to go after gangs.

This is being buttressed by programmes to clean up communities, the removal of derelict buildings, and over the longer term, improve housing.

The government has also told the security forces to match tough policing with respect for people and has established a special body to field complaints against soldiers, who have been given a greater role in the drive to face down what Prime Minister P J Patterson called “highly-armed and extremely ruthless criminals with significant international links”.

Since the initiative started, the police have recovered nine guns, bullets, spent shells and detonator caps for dynamite.

But police sources say that it was still too early to give an overall assessment of the impact of the initiative on crime although there was a slight reduction in murders over the past week, compared to the week before.

According to the police’s Constabulary Communication Network, in the period November 23 to 30 there were 23 murders in the island – six in the Corporate Area and St Catherine and 17 in the rest of the island. Last week there were 18 reported murders islandwide, but 14 of those were in the Corporate Area and St Catherine.

Up to yesterday 984 persons had been murdered in Jamaica this year.

In the Grants Pen operation, with its curfew along Shortwood Road, Markland Avenue, Grants Pen Avenue and Grants Pen Road, 114 police and soldiers, led by Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams, combed the community.

According to Adams, they had up to yesterday searched 146 premises including churches and schools. The squad was broken down into 10 search teams of four each and police and soldiers were positioned at 16 strategic locations in the community.

Adams was optimistic that the effort would lessen criminal activity in the area.

“Our intelligence tells us that Grants Pen is a haven for criminals,” Adams said. “The hoodlums leave the area to commit crimes and come here from other areas when the pressure is upon them. We are going to make sure that nowhere in this area will be a safe haven for them.”

The police started their latest crackdown in South West St Andrew and the West Kingston communities of Hannah Town, Tavares Gardens (popularly called Payne Land) and are to extend the initiative to other areas of the capital.