THE police in Clarendon say four men believed to be members of gangs operating across the parish were taken into custody over the weekend.

Their names are being withheld pending further investigations.

Yesterday, superintendent in charge of operations for the parish, David White, told the Jamaica Observer that for the past two weeks the police have been carrying out operations across the parish.

“We have targeted Farm, Effortville, Lionel Town, Hayes, Rasta Corner, Rocky Point, and York Town. We targeted violence producers, people who are from gangs. Out of those operations, and we would have led quite a number of them, we would have taken into custody at least four from different gangs,” White said, adding that the four were taken into custody for murder, shooting and illegal possession of firearm.

The police force’s Clarendon Divisional Investigative Unit has identified 12 gangs operating in the parish.

On Saturday, the Observer reported that the gangs operating in the parish are driving fear into residents who say it is only a matter of time before something disastrous happens.

Residents from Sevens Road, also known as Farm, Effortville, and John Crow Lane, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said rivalry among gangs has created an “unreasonable” amount of unease throughout the different communities in the southern parish.

White, in response to the concerns raised, said that the police were making “quite a number of inroads” in dealing with the gangs.

He urged residents to remain calm, reiterating that there are plans to intensify operations in May and June.

In the meantime, White said they have taken a man into custody for questioning in relation to a double murder in Sandy Bay in the parish last Thursday.

The police reported that three men armed with high-powered rifles entered a house and opened fire, killing 19-year-old Richard Blake and his 16-year-old brother Ricardo, a high school student. Their 13-year-old sibling, who was shot in the leg as he tried to escape, was treated and released from hospital.

Their mother was not harmed during the incident.

The police believe that the men were shot dead because of a dispute over a stolen gun.

“We took in somebody in regards to that double murder. So we would have interviewed that individual in the presence of his lawyer. That’s basically what I can give you so far,” White said.