KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has launched its latest crime-fighting initiative, designed to reduce the number of guns available for use in murders across the island.

Dubbed ‘Get the Guns’ campaign, it aims to intercept illegal guns entering the island’s shores and seize them from criminals.

The campaign will feature a reward scheme to encourage the public to provide information which will systematically reduce the number of guns used in murders.

Providing details on the initiative, Commissioner of Police, Dr Carl Williams, said the initiative forms part of strategies being implemented by the JCF, which are aimed at reducing the surge of murders, and should result in “benefits during the last six months of the year”.

The commissioner was speaking at a press conference held at his Old Hope offices in Kingston on Monday.

“This campaign is going to enlist the support of all Jamaicans through a reward scheme. We are going to be giving rewards to members of the public who assist the police with information to seize guns,” he said.

The commissioner said the JCF will use all the analytical capabilities available and intelligence at their disposal, to “zero in on the guns”.

“There are several guns out there that are being used in multiple murders; we have an idea of those and we are going to be targeting them,” he noted.

In the meantime, Williams pointed out that the JCF has increased its joint deployment initiatives with the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), noting that this has led to stability in several volatile areas in St Catherine North and Kingston Eastern Division.