Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin is confident that the newly-implemented crime reduction tactics will soon bear fruit and result in less murders, despite resource constraints.

While acknowledging that there was an increase in the number of murders and other serious crimes, Lewin said there were signs that things could change.

“Major crimes of murder, shooting, robbery, sexual offences, larceny and break-ins have shown increases, when compared to the same period last year. Notwithstanding this fact, there are encouraging signs indicating that current crime reduction strategies will impact on the crime trend, in particular murders, over the medium to long term,” Lewin said at a press conference at the Police Officers Club in St Andrew yesterday.

Police statistics indicate that gang-related activities are responsible for 80 per cent of murders and other serious crimes. Yesterday, Lewin said his men were engaged in rigorous training in order to tackle the growing number of organised gangs, which to date number about 300.

Since the start of the year 130 prominent gang members have been arrested and charged with serious offences, but Lewin pointed out that many of them had been granted bail. The police have also launched 680 counter-gang operations which resulted in the disruption of 30 gangs. Two hundred and sixty-seven illegal weapons have also been seized.

“Current anti-crime strategies were deliberately crafted to deal with criminal gang activities as a critical component. A key component of our strategy was the setting up of several joint task forces to provide support to the territorial divisions in driving the counter-gang activities which we believe will ultimately turn around the crime situation,” Lewin said.

The police are also planning an assault against gang leaders and will be increasing their spot checks and road blocks in order to cramp the free movement of armed gangsters. Some 44 crime ‘hot spots’ have been identified and Lewin said recently formed operational support teams will bolster the efforts of joint police/military teams already deployed in the volatile communities.

Extortion has proven to be a major thorn in the side of law enforcement as investigators often struggle to build a case against extortionists because of the unwillingness of victims to come forward.

Yesterday, Lewin indicated that the police have developed a new strategy in order to bring themselves on even keel with extortionists who reportedly rake in millions monthly from rackets centred in major towns and bus parks.

“We have resigned ourselves to get our own evidence,”

Lewin said.

There are currently more than 8,000 cops enlisted in the force and successive commissioners have complained that more are needed on the ground in order to effectively maintain law and order.