The St Andrew South police held a pop-up meeting with residents of Payne Land in the division on Monday.

The meeting, held on the multi-purpose court across from the police/military checkpoint, saw cops interacting and speaking to residents about crime and violence.

Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, the commanding officer for the division, was pleased with the support of the residents.

“It was our first pop-up focusing on domestic violence and youth/gang activities,” SSP Ricketts told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“The turnout was good, and we used the opportunity, through music and speeches, to communicate to those who we deemed most vulnerable,” he said.

The commanding officer commended the residents for working with the police to make the community safer. He said since January, there has been a 75 per cent reduction in murders and 40 per cent decrease in shootings in Payne Land.

“I know its early days yet, but we remain cautiously optimistic that with support from the community, we can achieve significant reductions in the level of violence by the end of the year,” the SSP said.

He is extremely happy with the support received from the Community Safety and Security Branch and the Band Division.

“We will definitely look into having similar types of events in other communities within the division,” he said.