KINGSTON, Jamaica — Police commissioner, Dr Carl Williams, is assuring residents of West Kingston that crime in under control in their communities.

The commissioner informed that heavy police deployment has had a calming effect on the troubled communities, which have been plagued recently by violence.

Williams was speaking at a press conference to update the country on police initiatives and tactical operations, at his Old Hope Road office in St Andrew on Thursday.

“I am asking all law abiding citizens for their patience as we continue with the curfews and cordon and search operations to get the criminals from their midst,” the Commissioner said.

Meanwhile, second-in-command of the West Kingston Police Division, Superintendent Howard Chambers, said that the police’s mobile reserve and military have kept a close watch over the communities.

“We have increased the amount of citizen/police interaction in the division. We are having a lot of widely publicised community meetings on how best we can come together as a team, in order to make the division better,” he said.

The senior policeman said that the results so far have been encouraging as citizens are cooperating, noting that initial community support had been non-existent.

“Persons are on the streets and going about their business. It is a situation that we still have to monitor,” he said.

Superintendent Chambers is also encouraging the rank and file policemen and women to interact with the citizens while on patrol.