THE Catherine North police have embarked on a major anti-gang initiative aimed at breaking the backs of the two main gangs operating in Spanish Town and its environs.

As a result, several high-profile members of the One Order and Klansman gangs are now behind bars. Head of the division, Superintendent Assan Thompson, said while murders have dropped in the parish last year in comparison to 2008, the gangs have been responsible for the majority of murders and violent crimes committed in that police division.

“The major strategic initiative for 2010 is to dismantle the One Order and Klansman gangs,” Thompson said. “This drive will continue and we will stop at nothing until these two gangs are destroyed. These are two of the most dangerous criminal gangs in the Caribbean.”

Now in police custody are three members of the One Order and four Klansman gang members who, according to the police, rank high on the pecking order of both gangs.

Klansman and One Order have been involved in a long-standing battle which came to a head after the November 2002 local government elections when both gangs waged a street battle for control of the extortion rights to the municipal bus park in Spanish Town. Police say the feud between the gangs has resulted in more than 100 murders since 2002.