KINGSTON, Jamaica — Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, says the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) declared in Parade Gardens in Kingston is yielding some progress.

Anderson, who was speaking at a virtual press conference on Sunday, January 16,  where Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, declared a ZOSO for southern Savanna-la-Mar, in Westmoreland, said since the ZOSO came into effect, “the people of Parade Gardens have had some respite from the ongoing violence” and that “the heavy deployment of the police and military as the joint force, along with a suite of activities in surrounding areas, has had the desired effect of reducing the freedom of actions of gangs and thereby reducing, to some degree, the fear within the community.”

The ZOSO in Parade Gardens was declared by Holness, on January 9, and will remain in effect for 60 days.

According to a release, Anderson at the conference revealed that 18 of the 20 persons of interest who were being sought by the police have been interviewed, and that two remain in custody.

The Police Commissioner also shared that since the establishment of the ZOSO, law enforcers are “seeing signs of former rivals willing to come to speak to each other when facilitated by us.”

Anderson said the zones are used in conjunction with several other operational activities and noted that the police force, along with its military partners, is constantly adjusting to counter emerging violent conflicts.

“The heavy use of intelligence and some adjustments to our responses has led to the seizure of nine firearms and the arrest in Mountain View of a significant figure in the illegal arms trade,” the Commissioner noted.

He said the establishment of Zones of Special Operations has been one of the tools used as a response to violence. “It has been done in a very methodical and carefully planned way. It is resource intensive and requires a long-term commitment from the police and the military,” he pointed out.

The boundaries of the Parade Gardens ZOSO are North – beginning at the East Street/East Queen Street intersection and extending in an easterly direction along East Queen Street to the intersection with lower South Camp Road; East – in a southerly direction along South Camp Road to the intersection with Harbour Street; South – in a westerly direction along Harbour Street to the intersection with East Street; and West, in a northerly direction along East Street, terminating at the intersection with East Queen Street.

Under The Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, an area can be declared a ZOSO once there is rampant criminality, gang warfare, escalating violence and murder, and a threat to the rule of law.

The law allows for measures to contain crime while safeguarding the human rights of residents and promoting community development through social intervention initiatives in areas where the operation is being undertaken.

There are currently seven Zones of Special Operations in the island. They are established in southern Savanna-la-Mar, in Westmoreland; Parade Gardens, Central Kingston; Denham Town, West Kingston; Norwood and Mount Salem, St James; and Greenwich Town and August Town, St Andrew.